146. Can good governance overcome ”bad” people?

Could it be possible for governance to be *so* good that the quality of the people don't even matter?

 

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One of the most common reactions so far to my definition of good governance as “the act of intentionally creating effective conditions for making decisions” is that I might be discounting the importance excellent people. In other words, I might be implying that if we create the right conditions then it doesn’t matter who’s in the room. First off, it’s not my intention to imply that at all. I think the people in the room are some of the most important conditions that we need to intentionally work on in our good governance journey. But let’s explore this for a moment. Could it be the case that somehow good governance is possible even with bad people? I mean, every person has *some* kind of strength, right? Maybe we could create conditions where everyone is *only* able to express their strengths and not their weaknesses. Maybe we could supplement our organizational leaders’ lack of care or interest or aptitude with external support? Maybe still, a truly optimized set of conditions could transform a group of duds into a group of stars? I honestly don’t know, and suspect the answers are deeply circumstantial. But one thing I *do* believe is that if you’re a leader in an organization and feel like you’re surrounded by duds, then it really is worth exploring ways to unlock their potential. Sure, some people might just be a lost cause. But why just sit there resigned to the fact that you’re surrounded by scrubs without putting in the effort to turn them into superstars?