Control is an illusion.

So you have decided to become a leader.

You may have made that decision many years ago, perhaps not so long ago, or you’re still deliberating the decision to jump in the pool and start leading people.

Or it was never a conscious decision. Your supervisor came to you, and before you knew it, you were leading a group of people. It happens often that way, too. There is no intentional training, coaching, mentoring, or onboarding.

Just “Here are the keys. Go lead these people.”

This is different from how it’s supposed to be done, but it happens often. “No time” to introduce people to the most critical first step in their life as a leader.

To be a leader who people follow, admire, and are inspired by, there are many leadership lessons to be learned, and we will tackle the most important of them. I want to start with the most important lesson. It’s the lesson that makes your life as a leader significantly ‘easier’ and the life of those who ‘work’ for (with) you more inspiring.

That lesson is: “Control is an illusion.”

Here are two examples to illustrate my point. Let me start with the most obvious: Controlling your birth.