The Myth of Control

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The Myth of Control

We like to believe that control is leadership, that if we build the right system, write the perfect plan, or tighten the proper protocol, we can hold chaos at bay. In The Paradox of Control, I explored that tension, the tightrope between discipline and surrender. But over time, a deeper question emerged: What if control itself is the illusion? What if what we’ve been chasing is not mastery but meaning?

The Myth of Control dives into that uncomfortable truth. Drawing from Socrates’ humility, Taoist simplicity, and lessons I learned as a Navy Corpsman serving with the Marines, this piece asks us to reconsider what it means to lead when everything around us is uncertain. It’s about what happens when the checklist runs out, when the room gets loud, and when the EOC feels like it’s breathing on its own.

Leadership isn’t about taming chaos but understanding how to move with it.
This is a meditation on presence, flow, and the quiet kind of power that doesn’t command the storm, but learns to live inside it.