A Reflection on Systems Change and Personal Resistance

I just listened to The Conversation Factory podcast episode called “The Seven Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems” with Adam Kahane, and I felt like he was talking just to me.

“A crack in a system is a sign that, at least for some people, it is not working. A crack offers a not-yet-realized opportunity to transform the system… it presents hope, but also disruption, confusion, conflict, and danger.”

That quote is screaming my name, because cracks are where I like to live.

I’m someone who notices when things aren’t working… when systems create friction, when people are quietly struggling inside processes that look good on paper. It’s never about blame. It’s about possibility. I see cracks not as flaws to cover up, but as places we can step into. Openings. Invitations.

But here’s the hard part:
Pointing out a crack in a system often makes people uncomfortable. It feels personal. Defensive responses come fast. And I get it. No one wants to hear that something they helped build isn’t working anymore.

But if we’re serious about equity, about innovation, about better serving people, then we have to get better at seeing cracks as something to work with, not avoid.

I’ve watched teams double down on outdated processes simply because they didn’t want to admit the cracks were there. And I’ve seen how that keeps people stuck.

The systems we design aren’t static. They shouldn’t be. What worked five years ago, or even last year, might not work now. And that’s not failure. That’s growth.

When someone points out what isn’t working, it’s not an attack. It’s an act of care. It means they’re invested enough to want things to be better.

So let’s embrace the cracks as opportunity.