State of Control

The dark clouds were looming tonight; I was unsure about training. If I rode, and it poured it would get very tricky for me. The westerly wind was persistent and committed to assert itself in ways to be taken seriously. I had a marathon meeting in the afternoon, and that had taken its toll on me. To run, or not to run – that was the question for me. I decided to quit making excuses and take control over myself. Go for a run, I encouraged myself. If I felt lousy, I would cut it short; if not, I would just go for as far, for as long.

Thankfully, I scored a personal best time-in-training – a good start to the year. I was glad I regained control; it is so easy to be distracted, conveniently create excuses for my inertia, and surrender to comfort. Coach Luis Vargas of MarkAllenOnline wrote that we should ‘never let the weather dictate our training.’ Now the notion of control in management is a serious one. Why the need for control?

It could have surfaced with the management roles of planning, organizing staffing, directing and controlling – management functions and roles.

What can you control? You can control processes, certain parameters and variables, and aspects of the environment.

What can’t you really control? You cannot control people’s choices, thinking, beliefs, values, behaviors and experiences. You can tease the best of your staff, but you can only control them for so long. Morale and motivation wanes through time, with rewards or not. Managing is not about controlling people. It is about empowering people to become better, if not the best – they can be.

There is this animal known as the ‘control freak’ – a condition either organic, or learnt. They have an uncontrollable (ironical) urge to control other people’s action, thinking and decisions. They just have to know, and interfere with the actions of others. They are overwhelmed by a need to check, inspect, interrogate, and inquire. People around them feel threatened, vulnerable and phobic about their presence for these control-orientated managers may be constantly looking over your shoulder. They may appear to have a lack of trust over their staff and team members. They, too, are insecure and fearful and they transfer these abnormal behaviors onto others.

Leadership Lessons: Learn to let go at times! You cannot control indefinitely, and certainly not with people. People may not allow you to control them through your unruly and high-handed behaviors. Wrest control away from others and influence instead. Control is limiting, and converges actions and intents into the internal world. Instead, release control at times, and free others to be creative and connected with the larger, external world. Focus on your customers, not merely your company. Never let the weather distract you.