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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. Hoc non est positum in nostra actione. Deinde disputat, quod cuiusque generis animantium statui deceat extremum. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Atque haec ita iustitiae propria sunt, ut sint virtutum reliquarum communia. Quasi vero, inquit, perpetua oratio rhetorum solum, non etiam philosophorum sit. An potest, inquit ille, quicquam esse suavius quam nihil dolere? Huic mori optimum esse propter desperationem sapientiae, illi propter spem vivere. Qua tu etiam inprudens utebare non numquam. Quae est igitur causa istarum angustiarum? Non dolere, inquam, istud quam vim habeat postea videro; A quibus propter discendi cupiditatem videmus ultimas terras esse peragratas. Ita multa dicunt, quae vix intellegam. Positum est a nostris in iis esse rebus, quae secundum naturam essent, non dolere; Sin autem est in ea, quod quidam volunt, nihil impedit hanc nostram comprehensionem summi boni. Ita multa dicunt, quae vix intellegam. Nec vero sum nescius esse utilitatem in historia, non modo voluptatem. Quamquam in hac divisione rem ipsam prorsus probo, elegantiam desidero. Sed ad illum redeo. Superiores tres erant, quae esse possent, quarum est una sola defensa, eaque vehementer.
- 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. Summae mihi videtur inscitiae. Qui ita affectus, beatum esse numquam probabis; Effluit igitur voluptas corporis et prima quaeque avolat saepiusque relinquit causam paenitendi quam recordandi. Et ais, si una littera commota sit, fore tota ut labet disciplina. Negat esse eam, inquit, propter se expetendam. Primum cur ista res digna odio est, nisi quod est turpis?
Conclusum est enim contra Cyrenaicos satis acute, nihil ad Epicurum. Habes, inquam, Cato, formam eorum, de quibus loquor, philosophorum. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Quam ob rem tandem, inquit, non satisfacit? Non igitur bene. Facete M. Quid enim possumus hoc agere divinius? Et quidem, inquit, vehementer errat; Ego quoque, inquit, didicerim libentius si quid attuleris, quam te reprehenderim. Apparet statim, quae sint officia, quae actiones. Sed in rebus apertissimis nimium longi sumus. Sic, et quidem diligentius saepiusque ista loquemur inter nos agemusque communiter.
Quae quidem vel cum periculo est quaerenda vobis; In qua quid est boni praeter summam voluptatem, et eam sempiternam? Sic enim censent, oportunitatis esse beate vivere. Scaevola tribunus plebis ferret ad plebem vellentne de ea re quaeri.
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