The Paradox of Power: Why the Higher You Lead, the Less You Control

“He who wishes to control everything ends up controlling nothing.”

This adage, often repeated in boardrooms and war rooms alike, conceals a deeper truth about leadership at scale: as you rise in rank, direct control fades – and systemic influence must take its place.

Leadership, at its core, is not the mere issuing of commands. It is the orchestration of systems, networks, and psychological gravity. The higher your seat – whether as a general, a CEO, or a head of state – the less you can reach out with your own hand. You must instead rely on frameworks, feedback loops, and relationships, many of which you may only touch once.

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Ashby’s Law and the Tyranny of Complexity

In the mid-20th century, British cyberneticist W. Ross Ashby coined a principle that quietly governs every scaled enterprise and polity:

“Only variety can absorb variety.”

In simpler terms, the more complex your environment, the more diverse and adaptive your control mechanisms must be. A platoon commander can manage each soldier’s steps. A theater general cannot. A department manager can sign off every invoice. A national leader cannot. Thus, true leadership at scale demands systems, not surveillance; culture, not commands.

This principle explains why leaders at the top must cede direct control in order to achieve broader influence. They trade the lever…