0 saved
23.3K 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. Sed ad haec, nisi molestum est, habeo quae velim. Non est enim vitium in oratione solum, sed etiam in moribus. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Aliud igitur esse censet gaudere, aliud non dolere. Quid ergo dubitamus, quin, si non dolere voluptas sit summa, non esse in voluptate dolor sit maximus? At quicum ioca seria, ut dicitur, quicum arcana, quicum occulta omnia? Semovenda est igitur voluptas, non solum ut recta sequamini, sed etiam ut loqui deceat frugaliter. Neque enim disputari sine reprehensione nec cum iracundia aut pertinacia recte disputari potest. Tuo vero id quidem, inquam, arbitratu. Nec vero alia sunt quaerenda contra Carneadeam illam sententiam. Ne amores quidem sanctos a sapiente alienos esse arbitrantur. Mihi quidem Homerus huius modi quiddam vidisse videatur in iis, quae de Sirenum cantibus finxerit. Theophrasti igitur, inquit, tibi liber ille placet de beata vita? Neminem videbis ita laudatum, ut artifex callidus comparandarum voluptatum diceretur. Iam in altera philosophiae parte. Scio enim esse quosdam, qui quavis lingua philosophari possint; Quod autem ratione actum est, id officium appellamus.
- 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. Si enim ad populum me vocas, eum. Non quaero, quid dicat, sed quid convenienter possit rationi et sententiae suae dicere. Itaque hic ipse iam pridem est reiectus; Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Age sane, inquam. Quid enim de amicitia statueris utilitatis causa expetenda vides.
Illud quaero, quid ei, qui in voluptate summum bonum ponat, consentaneum sit dicere. Quo plebiscito decreta a senatu est consuli quaestio Cn. Cum ageremus, inquit, vitae beatum et eundem supremum diem, scribebamus haec. Multoque hoc melius nos veriusque quam Stoici. Plane idem, inquit, et maxima quidem, qua fieri nulla maior potest. Itaque contra est, ac dicitis; Nam, ut sint illa vendibiliora, haec uberiora certe sunt.
Ut id aliis narrare gestiant? Nummus in Croesi divitiis obscuratur, pars est tamen divitiarum. Illud non continuo, ut aeque incontentae. Quis non odit sordidos, vanos, leves, futtiles? At ille non pertimuit saneque fidenter: Istis quidem ipsis verbis, inquit; Quae si potest singula consolando levare, universa quo modo sustinebit? Quid autem habent admirationis, cum prope accesseris? Omnis enim est natura diligens sui.
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