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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. Quae diligentissime contra Aristonem dicuntur a Chryippo. Dulce amarum, leve asperum, prope longe, stare movere, quadratum rotundum. Paupertas si malum est, mendicus beatus esse nemo potest, quamvis sit sapiens. Nihil minus, contraque illa hereditate dives ob eamque rem laetus. Quae diligentissime contra Aristonem dicuntur a Chryippo. Etenim nec iustitia nec amicitia esse omnino poterunt, nisi ipsae per se expetuntur. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Sin kakan malitiam dixisses, ad aliud nos unum certum vitium consuetudo Latina traduceret. Nummus in Croesi divitiis obscuratur, pars est tamen divitiarum. Sed ille, ut dixi, vitiose. Quaerimus enim finem bonorum. Id enim volumus, id contendimus, ut officii fructus sit ipsum officium. Deinde prima illa, quae in congressu solemus: Quid tu, inquit, huc? Sit enim idem caecus, debilis. Tamen a proposito, inquam, aberramus. Cur deinde Metrodori liberos commendas? Tu enim ista lenius, hic Stoicorum more nos vexat.
- 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. Quem Tiberina descensio festo illo die tanto gaudio affecit, quanto L. Quid, cum fictas fabulas, e quibus utilitas nulla elici potest, cum voluptate legimus? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Non quam nostram quidem, inquit Pomponius iocans;
At quanta conantur! Mundum hunc omnem oppidum esse nostrum! Incendi igitur eos, qui audiunt, vides. Atqui reperies, inquit, in hoc quidem pertinacem; Quod cum dixissent, ille contra. Quod autem in homine praestantissimum atque optimum est, id deseruit. Quae quidem sapientes sequuntur duce natura tamquam videntes; Nonne igitur tibi videntur, inquit, mala? Longum est enim ad omnia respondere, quae a te dicta sunt. Quid, cum fictas fabulas, e quibus utilitas nulla elici potest, cum voluptate legimus?
Nunc de hominis summo bono quaeritur; Videamus animi partes, quarum est conspectus illustrior; Beatus autem esse in maximarum rerum timore nemo potest. Nunc ita separantur, ut disiuncta sint, quo nihil potest esse perversius. Et quod est munus, quod opus sapientiae? Quis est tam dissimile homini. Summus dolor plures dies manere non potest? Hic ambiguo ludimur. -, sed ut hoc iudicaremus, non esse in iis partem maximam positam beate aut secus vivendi. Quae animi affectio suum cuique tribuens atque hanc, quam dico. Ergo illi intellegunt quid Epicurus dicat, ego non intellego?
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