More positive thinking, pls

Had a short but rather negative conversation the other day. Two friends from the same organisation were saying how the organisation was doomed because of its bureacracy, hierarchy, inflexibility, inertia etc. The guy said he would get out before it crashed and even offered to give reasons for its sure death if he was interviewed after that. The girl said she would be glad to have been part of the organisation but she would eventually leave.

My burning question: since you know why the organisation may fail, why don't you do something about it so that it won't crash?

They echoed each other that there was no point cos it could not be done. Why? Cos the people at the top wouldn't be open to change as it would mean they had been wrong while those at the bottom could not influence. Further, they said, motivated people at the bottom could decide to advocate change but end up with zero career prospects (so they would leave in the end), or move up the ladder silently and end up like the unchangeable top men.

I felt so suffocated by the sheer amount of negativities in their sentiments I wrote some notes down in paper straight off.

One, when you think it's not possible, it's really not possible, but only to you who think it so; to those who think it possible, they'll find some way to try to do it. I find it unacceptable that people accept failure only because they (think they) know it's not going to work. You never know until you try, right? And if it still doesn't work after trying, perhaps it really is impossible, or perhaps the time isn't right or something. Point is, don't give up by giving in to a simple "oh, but this cannot be done!"

Two, the whole thing about bottom people not being able to influence and top guys not willing to budge is a vicious cycle. The bottoms think they're powerless against the tops so they don't do anything; the tops think the bottoms won't say anything to challenge their authority so they have no need to budge or change for the better.

Perhaps I'm being naive, talking from a third person's perspective with not much idea of how this organisation works. But I believe that if you think in a certain way, a certain bad way, then things will unlikely look up. Think positive, and even if it doesn't work out in the end, it should be a triumph knowing that you've tried and perhaps, it just isn't meant to be. Somehow I'm reminded of marriage counselling: it can work only for those who wants it to work, who holds the tiniest belief that it just might work.

Perhaps I should stop listening to people talk about their work. It always seems so negative because people have so much discontent that they're not voicing out. In cases like this where whatever I say has no effect on the listener so adamant in his/her stand, I shall no longer persist to change his/her mind otherwise; I've made my stand.

On the other hand, I thought another friend did well in a recent episode. One day, he wasn't too pleased with his work. In fact he seemed quite disheartened. But the very next day, things went on well. And I suspect it's because he really wanted to do well, and somewhere inside, he also believed he can. You know who you are, well done!