In my experience, creating meaningful change within any organization is an incredibly difficult and challenging endeavor, regardless of one's position, even as a CEO. Every organization has a unique origin story, intrinsic values, ingrained behavioral patterns, and spoken and unspoken norms. These elements, combined with organizational muscle memory and other factors, create inherent resistance to change. There are two crucial caveats: the higher one's position, the more power they have to instigate change, and, the larger the organization, the more daunting the task becomes.
With this understanding in mind, young professionals should understand that their chances of significantly altering a company’s core aspects are slim to non-existent. Many organizations may claim in recruitment materials and performative town halls that every employee shapes the company’s future and culture, but this is often more conceptual than practical. Young professionals in non-senior roles have limited influence over reshaping a firm’s values, behavior norms, and strategic direction.
That being said, I do not suggest that young professionals remain passive in the face of unprofessional or disrespectful behavior. It is just that they should do so with full recognition of the constraints on their ability to effect genuine change within the organization.
My advice? Adopt the role of a tireless observer and learner. Take note of what you appreciate about the organization, what you find lacking, and how you envision a different set of cultural values and organizational truths. This process can lay the groundwork for when you eventually attain a level of influence or seniority, whether as a CEO or as the founder of your own firm.
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