You’ve Lost Your Sense of Control. Now What?

Your sense of control as a leader is in jeopardy these days. How can you feel in control faced with the uncertainties of a global pandemic, racial upheaval, epic environmental events, impending (or current) economic disaster, limited resources and a workforce living in fear and confusion?

Losing your sense of control is understandable. But you need it: Feeling in control is essential for your own well-being, but most importantly for the creativity, innovation and resilience to be the leader your people deserve.You can seek your lost sense of control in three ways.

Option No. 1: Do nothing

You become a victim when your sense of control is undermined by circumstances, and you don’t act to regain it. Warning signs that you’ve become a victim of circumstance:You shrug problems off with an “It is what it is” attitude.You suffer the consequences of powerlessness: depleted physical energy, a lack of vitality, sporadic depression, frustration, fear and rage.These symptoms aren’t healthy for anyone, but especially not for a leader in charge of strategic planning or day-to-day operations.

Option No. 2: Create choice

A group of participants in a recent experiment was asked to read about and relate to a person with high position power (a boss). Another group was asked to read and relate to a person with low position power (an employee). The participants relating to the boss felt powerful; the participants relating to the employee felt powerless.