The Peregrine and the Pigeon: The paradox of control (and our attempts to achieve it)

Peregrine falcons are stunning creatures - the fastest birds in the sky, and consummate hunters.  They are, however, very rare (the RSPB estimates just 1042 breeding pairs in the UK, mostly in the north and west of the country, including my home patch - Pembrokeshire).

Knowing where Peregrines nest is a privilege and an honour with a high level of responsibility attached.  Why?  Because Peregrines are rare, precious and under threat from humans who will stop at nothing to kill them (despite the fact that the birds are afforded the highest level of legal protection possible through Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981)). Why would humans want to kill these wonderful animals?  Well, amongst other reasons, it's because Peregrines kill pigeons.  Now I know what you're thinking, pigeons are extremely common (and thought of by many as vermin), why would that be a problem? Well to you and I it might not, but to the pigeon fancier, the Peregrine is the ultimate airborne threat to their valuable birds.

So how can just a few thousand falcons across the whole of the UK really present a threat to racing pigeons?  And why would pigeon fanciers go to such lengths to kill them?  The reasons are social and economic.  Racing pigeons can be extremely valuable because they can make their owners lots of money - and because value is placed upon them by the people involved in the sport.  Just as top flight football players are valued, bought and sold on the basis of their performance, so are pigeons. Now I'm sure that the vast majority of pigeon racers would never consider taking such action, but unfortunately there are a small minority who actively seek out and try to kill Peregrines or prevent them from breeding by destroying their eggs.*

What does this have to do with business?  Well, I see these attempts to control a small and widely dispersed population as futile attempts to gain control over something which is uncontrollable and at the mercy of chance.  Putting so much effort into something for which you cannot guarantee a result or reward is something that managers who are intent on maintaining control above all else often seem bent on doing.  They attempt to micro-manage or waste effort planning for events which are so unlikely they may never happen.

Forward planning can be very useful, and trying to maintain control by sticking to the plan may make you feel better, but times change and a single chance happening (an accident on the M1, or a freak weather event for example) could change everything for your business.  You can't control the weather or your competitors' actions any more than you can control whether your pigeon happens to be in the same airspace as a hungry Peregrine. Herein lies the paradox of control; we want it, but the more things we try to control the further we get from being 'present' in our business, and able to react to opportunities and threats as they arise.

So, no matter what your pigeons, possessions, or plans are worth, consider this: sometimes it's better to be aware of the possibilities and how you might react to them, but to accept that you cannot control everything, and just get on with doing the best job you can.

Oh, and don't kill Peregrines (ever).


Sources:
*Data on Peregrines and the threats to them is from the RSPB: http://www.rspb.org.uk