Having spent decades in the corporate world at GE — a company famous for its management processes and systems — Calhoun offered this sharp warning against letting means become ends. He had seen firsthand how organizations could become so focused on procedures and protocols that they lost sight of their actual purpose. The advice was practical and counter-institutional: even at a company like GE that had built its reputation on rigorous processes (Six Sigma, leadership development programs, quarterly reviews), the processes only had value insofar as they served a clear purpose. The moment they became self-justifying, they became bureaucracy. For graduates about to enter organizations of all sizes, this was crucial guidance: always ask 'why' before 'how,' and be willing to challenge processes that have outlived their purpose.