What counts?
I feel as though control has two different sides: the commanding & controlling vs. carefree & flexible. Often times many get hung up on the specific rules and that they must be followed to the “T.” I think the illusion of control, is that when the control is tight knit, it may have the opposite effect of what the leader is trying to accomplish. It is with evaluations of values and goals that constitute the severity of control and when and where control is implemented.
I think in order to make sure my controls are pertinent and not just illusions I have to be true to myself and recognize if what I am doing is actually part of my overarching goal or just something I think will get me there. Not that things can’t be thought out detail by detail, but I think that understanding that things happen and that there are multiple ways to achieve the same result is important. That way, I don’t end up stressing about things I can’t control and doing things that are going to get me farther away from my goals.
As for the quote on page 645 of Daft and Marcic, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts,” I think this is a thought provoking saying. It is easy to get caught up in the things that are quantified and able to put a number next to them. But the actual value of that thing may not hold a candle to something that can measured. Like in Study Notes 13, the man spent more time getting to know his customers. What were their needs, wants, values, therefore building a relationship that isn’t necessarily measurable. However, the manager was upset that the employee didn’t make the required number of phone calls in a day. Numbers that are put on paper, don’t always line up with the actual value in life. The quote shows that not everything is measurable in ways we would like them to measurable. And the things we measure don’t always have a high value.