When Systems Support — and When They Strain

Last week I worked with a team exploring what happens when good people struggle in difficult systems. The conversation reminded me that performance challenges often aren’t about how hard people are working, but about how the system channels that effort.

When systems support performance, you see clarity, trust, and a pace that feels sustainable.

When systems strain performance, you see reactivity, burnout, and well-intentioned people trying to compensate for what’s missing.

As leaders, our role is to notice what the system rewards — and what it quietly punishes.

Because if the system values urgency over reflection, people will run fast but learn slowly.

If it rewards compliance over curiosity, innovation disappears.

Our work at CPEM often begins here — helping leadership teams see their systems clearly, so they can tune them for performance and wellbeing.

It starts with one question:
Is our system supporting success — or straining it?
What signals tell you your system might be under strain?