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This model is reflected by a famous quote by Reinhold Niebuhr: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, ... Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Et quod est munus, quod opus sapientiae? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Quod si ita se habeat, non possit beatam praestare vitam sapientia. Parvi enim primo ortu sic iacent, tamquam omnino sine animo sint. Idem iste, inquam, de voluptate quid sentit? Neque enim disputari sine reprehensione nec cum iracundia aut pertinacia recte disputari potest. Quid enim tanto opus est instrumento in optimis artibus comparandis? Eodem modo is enim tibi nemo dabit, quod, expetendum sit, id esse laudabile. Nunc omni virtuti vitium contrario nomine opponitur. Tantum dico, magis fuisse vestrum agere Epicuri diem natalem, quam illius testamento cavere ut ageretur. Cur ipse Pythagoras et Aegyptum lustravit et Persarum magos adiit? Sed ne, dum huic obsequor, vobis molestus sim. Quo modo autem philosophus loquitur? Nulla erit controversia. Atqui perspicuum est hominem e corpore animoque constare, cum primae sint animi partes, secundae corporis. Hanc quoque iucunditatem, si vis, transfer in animum; Honesta oratio, Socratica, Platonis etiam. Nam quibus rebus efficiuntur voluptates, eae non sunt in potestate sapientis.
- Audit your focus.
Spend a week tracking how much you focus on factors that are out of your control ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Et ille ridens: Video, inquit, quid agas; Parvi enim primo ortu sic iacent, tamquam omnino sine animo sint. Sin eam, quam Hieronymus, ne fecisset idem, ut voluptatem illam Aristippi in prima commendatione poneret. Quamquam te quidem video minime esse deterritum. Sint modo partes vitae beatae. Duo Reges: constructio interrete.
Ubi ut eam caperet aut quando? Est, ut dicis, inquit; Eam si varietatem diceres, intellegerem, ut etiam non dicente te intellego; Ergo hoc quidem apparet, nos ad agendum esse natos. Vitae autem degendae ratio maxime quidem illis placuit quieta. Non laboro, inquit, de nomine. Hoc est dicere: Non reprehenderem asotos, si non essent asoti. Expressa vero in iis aetatibus, quae iam confirmatae sunt.
Non igitur de improbo, sed de callido improbo quaerimus, qualis Q. Et quidem Arcesilas tuus, etsi fuit in disserendo pertinacior, tamen noster fuit; Nam Pyrrho, Aristo, Erillus iam diu abiecti. Cum id fugiunt, re eadem defendunt, quae Peripatetici, verba. Ea possunt paria non esse. Atque haec ita iustitiae propria sunt, ut sint virtutum reliquarum communia.
It can be difficult to determine what’s in your Circle of Concern versus your Circle of Influence. For example, as a senior manager, a member of your team might be influenced by you yet will ultimately make their own decisions. One strategy to mitigate this is to consider an additional element called the 'Circle of Control', which relates directly to your behaviour at the centre of the two circles.
Another potential challenge lies when taking this model to its extreme, as it can be used to justify 'narcissistic tendencies' by focusing on yourself rather than using it as a means to engage or impact the external world.
Victor Frankl and the holocaust
Covey’s example of applying this model puts a lot in perspective. He cites the story of Austrian psychiatrist Victor Frankl and his experience in the Nazi holocaust.
Frankl saw most of his family killed and everything stripped away from him, yet he endured. Frankl said: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.”
Hopefully, you’ll use this heroic example of proactivity as inspiration rather than intimidation.
This model particularly aligns with productivity models that encourage high value activity.
Use the following examples of connected and complementary models to weave the circle of concern and influence into your broader latticework of mental models. Alternatively, discover your own connections by exploring the category list above.
Connected models:
- Psychological Safety: this model can support the development of psychological safety by shifting from a blame culture.
Complementary models:
- Growth mindset: combining this mental model with a growth mindset allows you to consider how to increase your circle of influence.
- Habit formation and habit stacking: developing these practices as daily habits and processes to use in meetings becomes a powerful life approach.
- Cialidini’s Six Principles of Influence: Cialdini's model aims to extend your influence over people and can be used to challenge the defined limits of the circle of concern and influence as a result.
- Jealousy as a Map: to help establish your priority goals.
This model was created by Stephen Covey, author and speaker and was first featured in his book 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People'. Find out more by visiting the Franklin Covey Institute here.
My Notes
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Arun,
A proactivity tool is mentioned in Actionable takeaways, how or where can we get access to this?
Thanks
Dimiter