The Anatomy of Control

Dictionary definition of Control: to exercise restraint or direction over; dominate; command:

Overture
To survive and thrive, any gatherings of people – from companies to nations – requires the right kind of control in order to maintain administrative intactness. When control gets out of hand it mutates from being a necessary instrument of good maintenance into an instrument that deploys harsh measures to have its way. The deeper the state of disconnection from a constructive purpose, the harsher the controls.

There are two ways to control scenarios that involve people:

1. The ‘blue’ way: Keeping things under control – the way of the wise
2. The ‘red’ way: Keeping things in control – the way of oppressors and tyrants

Understanding the difference between the two is quite critical for the seekers of the paths of enlightened leadership and good management. You may observe at this point that most 21st systems – from government to corporate – are a mix of the two in various measures.

Having been born into a world over-impregnated with the lower end of red – like the other rainbow energy gradients, red has a high and a low end – the coding of both the red and the blue are present from birth in our behavioural DNA. These coding awaken in all sorts of weird and wonderful blends in those occupying a position of power over others. Bringing the blue way to prominence and rendering the red way to sterility then becomes a matter of self-awareness-driven choice, enabled through personal development.

Follows a broad scan through the worlds of red and blue.

The blue way is the way of establishing awareness and surveillance mechanisms – both in self and technologically speaking – that assist and alert for divergence and deviation from agreed standards of ethic, behaviour, productivity and outcome.

The red way creates unforgivingly rigid systems with draconian regulations, where personal freedom is arrested in the mindset of obedience.

The blue way is rooted in knowing what people will not do with the freedom they have.

At its extreme, the red way is the way of terrorising brutal enforcement, imposed by merciless red brigades deployed by tyrants and their minions who benefit from being close to the plate of plunder.

The blue way is built on trust verified by sensible systems that help in the matters of necessary monitoring of performance, fitness and suitability.

The blue way – management by wise delegation and empowerment.
The red way – management by micro-management.

The red way – think ant colony.
The blue way – reimagine your view of real freedom.

The red way – a spiritually disconnected, gain-and-loss-driven-brain is master of ceremonies of a person’s behaviour.
The blue way – mindfulness and presence of mind are the master of ceremonies.

Red always – repeat, always, sooner or later – culminates in revolutions or violent uprisings or at its mild scenarios, people simply going elsewhere if they can.

For educational purposes, we are anecdotally highlighting here the comparative polar perspectives of each. As already mentioned, there is a large swath of grey scale zone of the blending and mixing of both in various balances.

The purpose of red is control itself. The purpose of blue is to liberate and create space for exciting opportunities. For red, the end justifies any means. For blue, the means must be congruent with its purpose and mission.

The pivot
We are now arriving to the pivotal message of this Fulcrum, one that points and guides to the wisdom of how control works in the blue worlds.

Because ‘red’ and ‘blue’ are real and present vibrant energy domains, not just mental states. Any mental state is connected to an energy domain. There is a whole octave governing the human opportunity on earth, represented by the colours of the rainbow – red to violet.

You may be asking: “What needs to be done to transform the nature of control mechanisms in the organization I lead, from a mix of red and blue to a decisive blue majority?” (It is practically impossible to completely rid a 21st century organization from red because the 21st century is by large a heavily red-accented entity)

The answer is quite simple: Sort the head to heal the body. Embark on a developmental process that includes the senior management structure, that radically elevates the quality of the conversation between them and between them and the workforce, because the quality and context of the conversation that goes on in a company determines its atmosphere. The aim is to create an atmosphere of trust, inspired and enabled by the purpose awareness that the blue way lets in through the front door.

For ease of access, this is presented at a simplified, starter level but hopefully enough to prompt those seeking to develop the self-awareness that belongs with the future of leadership.

Unified purposive minds constitute together a powerful attraction for the energies of the future and an inspiration for people to say yes to the mission

The other day I was watching a school children football match. The observing parents divided into two distinct camps: Those (mostly) quietly watching and supporting, with an eye on creating a blanket of safety. The other would not stop micro-managing their children. I shall leave it to you to contemplate the impact of both on the development of their children

Leaving you with a question: how are you handling you – in or under control.?

Please do leave a comment – your feedback is most welcome.

David Gommé
World Copyright 2019© David Gommé