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Circle of Concern & Influence
Circle of Concern & Influence
Circle of Concern & Influence
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Overview

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. Sed ne, dum huic obsequor, vobis molestus sim. Ita multo sanguine profuso in laetitia et in victoria est mortuus. Atque ego: Scis me, inquam, istud idem sentire, Piso, sed a te opportune facta mentio est. Summus dolor plures dies manere non potest? Quid, quod homines infima fortuna, nulla spe rerum gerendarum, opifices denique delectantur historia? Expressa vero in iis aetatibus, quae iam confirmatae sunt.

Haec dicuntur fortasse ieiunius; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Ergo, inquit, tibi Q. Cuius quidem, quoniam Stoicus fuit, sententia condemnata mihi videtur esse inanitas ista verborum. Cum audissem Antiochum, Brute, ut solebam, cum M. Aliud igitur esse censet gaudere, aliud non dolere. Quare hoc videndum est, possitne nobis hoc ratio philosophorum dare. Sed mehercule pergrata mihi oratio tua. Ex quo intellegitur officium medium quiddam esse, quod neque in bonis ponatur neque in contrariis.

Non risu potius quam oratione eiciendum? Quamquam tu hanc copiosiorem etiam soles dicere. Quae duo sunt, unum facit. Quamquam te quidem video minime esse deterritum. An vero, inquit, quisquam potest probare, quod perceptfum, quod. Cum autem in quo sapienter dicimus, id a primo rectissime dicitur. Modo etiam paulum ad dexteram de via declinavi, ut ad Pericli sepulcrum accederem. Contemnit enim disserendi elegantiam, confuse loquitur.

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Actionable Takeaways
  • 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. Atqui iste locus est, Piso, tibi etiam atque etiam confirmandus, inquam; Quod autem in homine praestantissimum atque optimum est, id deseruit. Non quaeritur autem quid naturae tuae consentaneum sit, sed quid disciplinae. Et quidem Arcesilas tuus, etsi fuit in disserendo pertinacior, tamen noster fuit; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Tertium autem omnibus aut maximis rebus iis, quae secundum naturam sint, fruentem vivere. Quid enim me prohiberet Epicureum esse, si probarem, quae ille diceret?

Etenim nec iustitia nec amicitia esse omnino poterunt, nisi ipsae per se expetuntur. Non est enim vitium in oratione solum, sed etiam in moribus. Sed tamen est aliquid, quod nobis non liceat, liceat illis. Quod autem ratione actum est, id officium appellamus. Huius, Lyco, oratione locuples, rebus ipsis ielunior. Quantum Aristoxeni ingenium consumptum videmus in musicis?

Deinde disputat, quod cuiusque generis animantium statui deceat extremum. Sed tempus est, si videtur, et recta quidem ad me. Hosne igitur laudas et hanc eorum, inquam, sententiam sequi nos censes oportere? Quae cum dixisset, finem ille. Septem autem illi non suo, sed populorum suffragio omnium nominati sunt. Non igitur de improbo, sed de callido improbo quaerimus, qualis Q. Non pugnem cum homine, cur tantum habeat in natura boni; Si enim ad populum me vocas, eum. Sed residamus, inquit, si placet. Refert tamen, quo modo.

Limitations

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.

In Practice

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. 

Build your latticework
This model will help you to:

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. 
Origins & Resources

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

  • profile
    1234 days ago mlr
    Like Dimiter, I'm interested in the proactivity tool (though we can probably guess its rough shape). There's nothing of that name on the Franklin Covey website. Arun, any clues as to where we might find it?
  • profile
    1568 days ago arun , CoFounder ModelThinkers & keynote speaker
    One of my favourite models. Especially in seemingly helpless situations, it's such an empowering way to gain agency and eventually momentum. This was really impactful when I first read it in Covey's book years back, and one that I often share with my kids.
    • 1509 days ago Dimiter Pecev

      Arun,
      A proactivity tool is mentioned in Actionable takeaways, how or where can we get access to this?
      Thanks
      Dimiter

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