Illusion of Control

A few weeks ago I was meeting with an individual wanting to learn more about the humble inquiry method of helping others. This conversation gave me the opportunity to listen deeply to her interest in how this approach can be helpful in supporting a founder’s journey in transition and succession.

We shared stories of our mutual work in helping business owners and non-profit leaders develop these important plans. As I was listening, reflecting on the context of her stories, and my own journey as a successor to a founder, I found myself recognizing an important truth in any planning process.

Developing plans, any type of plan, can give you the illusion of control.

What do I mean by the illusion of control?

Plans for the future represent our:

• best understanding of a desired future state
• a set of desired outcomes that we hope to achieve along the way
• a series of steps we and others want to take in order to achieve these goals over time

What we often don’t acknowledge is that these plans don't exist in isolation. Plans for transition and succession, our visions for the future and the strategic plans to achieve them, even our big boulders and small rocks exist in a dynamic world that change beyond our influence or control.

As leaders we must acknowledge our lack of control and that any plan we create can give us and those around us the illusion of control.

So how do we prepare ourselves to embrace this truth?

I was having breakfast with a close friend and colleague, Kay Edwards the other day and shared with her this story. We were discussing the importance of acknowledging this illusion of control, especially in our work with others and how best to prepare ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally.

With the Dodger’s most recent World Series win, I used a fielding analogy about how to deal with the spin of baseball when trying to field a ground ball. Kay brought forward the following wisdom, “what if you partnered with the thing you can’t control?”

Kay grew up on a farm. As a self-described farm girl, she learned from her father that you have to partner with many things you can’t control, such as the weather, crop prices, temperamental machinery, etc. What a marvelous learning to incorporate into your life and leadership.

As you make your plans for the future (whatever plans they may be) recognize that these plans can create the illusion of control. Prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically (to learn more please read more on becoming a multi-rested leader) so that you can adapt, pivot, and continue your journey even when the environment around you changes in the present moment.

These innovations may actually provide more longterm value than your initial plan. 

Mind how you go,

Lon

Lon L. Swartzentruber

Design Group International

Managing Partner & CEO 

Interim - CEO, Society for Process Consulting

If you’d like to go deeper in your journey of leadership, please schedule a call. I’d be honored to listen and learn more about your journey as a leader and where you’d like to go next.

P.S. Please join me as the Society for Process Consulting's Inaugural Conference in Philadelphia, PA, 11 - 12 November 2024.

Here is what is in my backpack:

Presence, by Peter Senge, Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, and Betty Sue Flowers

Rereading Humble Leadership 2^nd Edition, by Edgar H. Schein and Peter A. Schein

Rereading Immortal Diamond, by Richard Rohr.