I suffer from it just like everyone else in this world. We believe that we have control over the world around us. We live in a fantasy world.
When running a business, do you have control over your employees? Of course you don’t. Your employees are generally agreeing to do what you want them to do. At any point in time, they can disagree with you and destroy your company.
Loss of Control.
I recently had a confrontation at a 1/2 marathon (13.1 mile run) race with someone who thought they were in control. I wasn’t running the race but my girlfriend was. I was taking pictures and video of her, her friends, and the race. The race director wasn’t happy that I was there. This race director purchased a permit with the city that allowed him to hold this race on public streets and a public trail. He incorrectly assumed that this permit gave him the ability to control who can take pictures as his race.
What was interesting is that I knew he had no control over me. I was standing on a public road taking pictures of people on a public road. He went and got one of the police officers he had hired to work his event to come over to tell me to stop taking pictures and to leave. The police officer knew that he had no authority to tell me to stop and he basically told the race director this too. The race director did not like that answer. The resulting temper tantrum was comical.
Another group of people that don’t respond well to losing control are the police. Perfect examples are when the average public photograph or video tape the police officers doing their jobs making arrests and traffic stops. When police officers lose control, they resort to arresting people for interfering with an officer’s duty and in some states, arresting people for violating wiretap statutes.
The first step in solving a problem is to recognize that you have one. Realize that you don’t have control of your world. You’ve never had, and you never will. You need to learn how to influence those around you to help you achieve your goals.
He who loses control loses.
–Don’t Stop
Brain On 