Standing in the Way of Control

Just finished The Paradox of Control in Organizations by Philip Streatfield. In some ways Streatfield is the anti-Trump. Dear ol' Don & his ilk (and yes that means you Jack "Winning Guts" Welch) tell us stories of how gosh darn great they are and how we should be just like them if we want to do what matters in this world (make heaps of $$$, run large corporations, appear in our own TV shows). I have no qualms with their own pursuit of this lifestyle. Not too keen on it myself - but then I'm not a kid from the wrong side of the tracks made cliched (unless you count Bognor as the wrong side of the tracks - and Arun Council's tourism officer would register a protest if you did).

Streatfield does not run his own corporation but he did rise to a senior position at SmithklineBeecham before joining Entertainment UK. And as you read the following it's important to remember that his background is in supply chain ("trucks 'n' ****ing sheds" as one supply chain practitioner once theorised it to me) not chakra alignment or group hugging.

The paradox that Streatfield talks about is that managers like to think of themselves as "in control". People look to us to tell them what to do. So we tell them. People behave as if we know what we're doing. And we feel it rude to disabuse them of this notion. If we are particularly naive/arrogant/high we might even belief that ultimately we are in control. We have methodologies, measurement systems, MBAs, speakerphones on our desks ferchrissakes!!! What Streatfield bravely fesses up to as a practicing manager is that ain't necessarily so. We are in control in some senses - and in others we are not. And that is a bit scary.

Learning to deal with that anxiety in yourself & others is a critical skill for a manager. The first big project I managed (well, big for me - I need a gant chart to change a light bulb) felt like driving an articulated lorry down a steep hill with the brakelines cut - and small, fluffy, endangered species jumping out in front of me at random times (budget cut, budget back again, scope changed, stakeholder replaced, team member replaced, etc). Initially my stress levels went through the roof, then after a while I just got on with it. [N.B. I recommend a state of detached engagement. If you fail, will people die? If the answer to that question is "yes" then you better have good support & a strong stomach. But for most people, the answer is "no" - no matter how much of you secretly wants it to be "yes".]

If you want to find out more, read the book.

There are two lies. One that we are not in control of our own destiny - what happens to us is the responsibility of others. Now this can be true - if you are a new-born infant. The other is that we are solely responsible for the outcomes of our lives. And this is true for no one - unless you gave birth to yourself (which I know to be physically impossible - I have diagrams). The truth is that whilst we are not wholly in control of our lives, no one else is either and we have the biggest stake in looking after ourselves. And the other thing to remember is that everyone else is in this position as well. So welcome to the club - treat the other members nice.

Post title brought to courtesy of The Gossip.