"Because the better an organization is at fulfilling its purpose, the more it attracts people who see the organization as an opportunity to advance themselves"
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A well-run institution doesn’t just do its job; it advertises itself as a ladder. Shea’s line has the cool sting of someone who’s watched competence curdle into careerism. The paradox is engineered for discomfort: excellence, the very thing we’re taught to celebrate in organizations, becomes the bait that draws in people whose primary loyalty is to themselves.
The specific intent is diagnostic, not motivational. Shea is pointing at a recurring pattern in bureaucracies, nonprofits, political movements, even subcultures: when a mission is clear and execution is strong, the organization gains prestige, resources, and access. Those aren’t just tools for the cause; they’re currencies. The more reliably an institution delivers, the more it accumulates soft power - and soft power is catnip for status-seekers who can translate “impact” into titles, networks, speaking slots, and moral cover.
The subtext is that “purpose” is fragile because it can be exploited without being openly betrayed. Self-advancement doesn’t always arrive as a villain; it arrives as the hyper-competent joiner who knows how to optimize, brand, and climb. Shea’s grim insight is that these people often look like assets right up until they start bending priorities: choosing visible wins over necessary ones, protecting the institution’s image over its mission, treating the organization as a platform rather than a promise.
Contextually, it reads like mid-century American skepticism about systems that grow successful and then get colonized - a cousin to the idea that institutions, once professionalized, begin serving themselves. It’s not anti-organization; it’s a warning that success creates its own predators.
The specific intent is diagnostic, not motivational. Shea is pointing at a recurring pattern in bureaucracies, nonprofits, political movements, even subcultures: when a mission is clear and execution is strong, the organization gains prestige, resources, and access. Those aren’t just tools for the cause; they’re currencies. The more reliably an institution delivers, the more it accumulates soft power - and soft power is catnip for status-seekers who can translate “impact” into titles, networks, speaking slots, and moral cover.
The subtext is that “purpose” is fragile because it can be exploited without being openly betrayed. Self-advancement doesn’t always arrive as a villain; it arrives as the hyper-competent joiner who knows how to optimize, brand, and climb. Shea’s grim insight is that these people often look like assets right up until they start bending priorities: choosing visible wins over necessary ones, protecting the institution’s image over its mission, treating the organization as a platform rather than a promise.
Contextually, it reads like mid-century American skepticism about systems that grow successful and then get colonized - a cousin to the idea that institutions, once professionalized, begin serving themselves. It’s not anti-organization; it’s a warning that success creates its own predators.
Quote Details
| Topic | Management |
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