What makes an organization?

Today word came down in an all alumni email that some professors were not going to extend their employment opportunities with a certain small liberal arts college. Some of these were well-loved profs whom students and alumni alike will miss.

I was saddened that one in particular is leaving because he was a colorful and enjoyable teacher whose heart really seemed to be in his work. Because of his commitment, he had and has, quite a following.

It made me start thinking about how so many times there are people that I associate with certain institutions or places so much that you cannot separate the two. Sometimes that is a good thing and other times it is not. Where do you draw the line? People change over time and with that change people move on with their lives and leave certain things behind. This is both natural and good. There is a danger in allowing an institution to be about one particular person, and allowing that devotion to carry you to such an extreme that you no longer support the organization’s First Principles.

In that case, I think the individual, the organization, and all the people it affects are better off if you agree to a mutual parting of ways.