The rise & fall of control
(what our stories are really saying)
Start
We all know this story.
Shout out examples of this story that you can think of, be they
- Empires
- Companies
- Movements
- Leaders
Learn More
NEXT
It almost feels natural. This story shape is all around us!
Why do we tell history this way? The rise, the peak, the decline, the fall - why do we care to identify these?
NEXT
Learn More
Perhaps we tell this story because we're making some big assumptions.
assumption 1
assumption 2
NEXT
Are rise-peak-decline-fall stories best seen as stories
of Failure?
of entropy?
OR
I.E. the loss of controlover a period of time
I.E. the cost of controlover a period of time
Learn More
Learn More
NEXT
Maybe the "rise and fall" story is less about failure and more about cost exceeding supply.
And so the goal is not to shame people for this happening as much as it tells the truth about it so that we can stop trying to pay the impossible price.
Learn More
NEXT
retell one story
Pick one:
- A season of someone's life
In pairs, retell the story without blaming weakness or stupidity or lack of control. Tell it, instead, as a story of increasing cost.
Listen for:
- Less surprise at the ending
Learn More
NEXT
We all know this story.
Which means we are all equipped to dismantle it. You have the pieces - take them apart, rearrange them, and make room for a different story.
Learn More
NEXT
This changes how we listen. This changes how we speak. This changes how we forgive.
People do not always fail because they aren't strong enough. The system itself, the one in which we often find ourselves participating, simply cannot hold. So God meets us, not with better systems or more disciplines or clearer rules, but with mercy.
Learn More
NEXT
Thank You
You may move on to the next portion of the Spotlight.
Example: A fast-growing tech startup At first, the company begins with a clear idea and a small team. As the company succeeds, new pressures appear: investors want predictability, customers want consistency, regulators want compliance. None of these are necessarily evil. But over time, the cost of control increases. More meetings are needed to make decisions. More reporting is required to justify work. More energy goes into preserving structure than creating value. Eventually, the company spends most of its effort maintaining itself. Innovation slows. Burnout rises. The very systems designed to ensure stability begin to consume the organization’s energy. The company doesn’t fail because people were lazy or stupid. It struggles because the cost of maintaining control outpaced the energy available to sustain it.
3_14_2-3 The Rise and Fall of Control
Kent Reeder
Created on January 11, 2026
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Transcript
The rise & fall of control
(what our stories are really saying)
Start
We all know this story.
Shout out examples of this story that you can think of, be they
Learn More
NEXT
It almost feels natural. This story shape is all around us!
Why do we tell history this way? The rise, the peak, the decline, the fall - why do we care to identify these?
NEXT
Learn More
Perhaps we tell this story because we're making some big assumptions.
assumption 1
assumption 2
NEXT
Are rise-peak-decline-fall stories best seen as stories
of Failure?
of entropy?
OR
I.E. the loss of controlover a period of time
I.E. the cost of controlover a period of time
Learn More
Learn More
NEXT
Maybe the "rise and fall" story is less about failure and more about cost exceeding supply.
And so the goal is not to shame people for this happening as much as it tells the truth about it so that we can stop trying to pay the impossible price.
Learn More
NEXT
retell one story
Pick one:
- A season of someone's life
In pairs, retell the story without blaming weakness or stupidity or lack of control. Tell it, instead, as a story of increasing cost.Listen for:
Learn More
NEXT
We all know this story.
Which means we are all equipped to dismantle it. You have the pieces - take them apart, rearrange them, and make room for a different story.
Learn More
NEXT
This changes how we listen. This changes how we speak. This changes how we forgive.
People do not always fail because they aren't strong enough. The system itself, the one in which we often find ourselves participating, simply cannot hold. So God meets us, not with better systems or more disciplines or clearer rules, but with mercy.
Learn More
NEXT
Thank You
You may move on to the next portion of the Spotlight.
Example: A fast-growing tech startup At first, the company begins with a clear idea and a small team. As the company succeeds, new pressures appear: investors want predictability, customers want consistency, regulators want compliance. None of these are necessarily evil. But over time, the cost of control increases. More meetings are needed to make decisions. More reporting is required to justify work. More energy goes into preserving structure than creating value. Eventually, the company spends most of its effort maintaining itself. Innovation slows. Burnout rises. The very systems designed to ensure stability begin to consume the organization’s energy. The company doesn’t fail because people were lazy or stupid. It struggles because the cost of maintaining control outpaced the energy available to sustain it.