Skidding, Sledding, and the Secret Power of Systems

You’ve probably seen that viral news clip: two runners being interviewed during a winter storm, joyfully proclaiming how much they love running in the snow. They’re upbeat, motivated, full of energy. Then the camera follows them as they take off down the street…and they immediately wipe out on the ice.

Their enthusiasm is real. Their commitment is way better than mine. Their effort is commendable. But conditions always win.

This week, many of us are living inside that metaphor. Snowstorms, closed schools, dangerous roads. Cars are sliding and people are falling because no amount of effort creates traction when the underlying conditions aren’t supportive.

Much of leadership development work focuses on the individual: building self-awareness, conflict and communication styles, a growth mindset. Those skills matter deeply.

The next level is understanding that people don’t operate in isolation. They operate inside systems — patterns, expectations, histories, norms, and cultural currents that shape behavior far more than motivation alone.

Systems thinking helps you see:

• when clarity, communication, or processes need to change

• when you need to change pace or redistribute work

• when energy and enthusiasm aren’t the problem — the conditions are.

There's another scene, one to which I have a clear view to through my office window: children sledding. They’re using the very same conditions that send runners falling and cars spinning and turning it into joy, speed, and momentum. Their activity matches the environment. It's working for them, not against them. That’s the heart of systems thinking.

When systems are designed well, people move with ease. They gain energy instead of losing it. They even enjoy the ride.

Happy snow day,

Amanda