0 saved
27.7K views
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. Haec et tu ita posuisti, et verba vestra sunt. Quod si ita se habeat, non possit beatam praestare vitam sapientia. Mihi, inquam, qui te id ipsum rogavi? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Serpere anguiculos, nare anaticulas, evolare merulas, cornibus uti videmus boves, nepas aculeis. Quos quidem tibi studiose et diligenter tractandos magnopere censeo. Traditur, inquit, ab Epicuro ratio neglegendi doloris. Quid autem habent admirationis, cum prope accesseris? Deinde disputat, quod cuiusque generis animantium statui deceat extremum. Huic mori optimum esse propter desperationem sapientiae, illi propter spem vivere. Quodsi vultum tibi, si incessum fingeres, quo gravior viderere, non esses tui similis; Quae sequuntur igitur? Cum ageremus, inquit, vitae beatum et eundem supremum diem, scribebamus haec. At, illa, ut vobis placet, partem quandam tuetur, reliquam deserit. Itaque rursus eadem ratione, qua sum paulo ante usus, haerebitis. Et certamen honestum et disputatio splendida! omnis est enim de virtutis dignitate contentio. Nam si beatus umquam fuisset, beatam vitam usque ad illum a Cyro extructum rogum pertulisset.
- 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. Ergo id est convenienter naturae vivere, a natura discedere. Quod si ita se habeat, non possit beatam praestare vitam sapientia. Dat enim intervalla et relaxat. Huic mori optimum esse propter desperationem sapientiae, illi propter spem vivere. Nihil enim iam habes, quod ad corpus referas; Quis est tam dissimile homini. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Nec lapathi suavitatem acupenseri Galloni Laelius anteponebat, sed suavitatem ipsam neglegebat; Quae quo sunt excelsiores, eo dant clariora indicia naturae. Mihi quidem Antiochum, quem audis, satis belle videris attendere.
Quid me istud rogas? Aliud igitur esse censet gaudere, aliud non dolere. Quid turpius quam sapientis vitam ex insipientium sermone pendere? Ampulla enim sit necne sit, quis non iure optimo irrideatur, si laboret? De ingenio eius in his disputationibus, non de moribus quaeritur. Quam ob rem tandem, inquit, non satisfacit? Ex rebus enim timiditas, non ex vocabulis nascitur. Age nunc isti doceant, vel tu potius quis enim ista melius?
Si stante, hoc natura videlicet vult, salvam esse se, quod concedimus; Hoc tu nunc in illo probas. Et quidem, inquit, vehementer errat; Cur post Tarentum ad Archytam? Idem adhuc; Nam Metrodorum non puto ipsum professum, sed, cum appellaretur ab Epicuro, repudiare tantum beneficium noluisse;
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
Oops, That’s Members’ Only!
Fortunately, it only costs US$5/month to Join ModelThinkers and access everything so that you can rapidly discover, learn, and apply the world’s most powerful ideas.
ModelThinkers membership at a glance:
“Yeah, we hate pop ups too. But we wanted to let you know that, with ModelThinkers, we’re making it easier for you to adapt, innovate and create value. We hope you’ll join us and the growing community of ModelThinkers today.”
You Might Also Like:
- Actionable summaries of the world's most powerful ideas.
Subscribe now and download this practical guide to transform your thinking, plus recieve one short, powerful and actionable idea in your inbox each month.
Arun,
A proactivity tool is mentioned in Actionable takeaways, how or where can we get access to this?
Thanks
Dimiter