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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. Cur igitur easdem res, inquam, Peripateticis dicentibus verbum nullum est, quod non intellegatur? Mihi, inquam, qui te id ipsum rogavi? Hoc etsi multimodis reprehendi potest, tamen accipio, quod dant. An dolor longissimus quisque miserrimus, voluptatem non optabiliorem diuturnitas facit? An hoc usque quaque, aliter in vita? Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Quae hic rei publicae vulnera inponebat, eadem ille sanabat. Summus dolor plures dies manere non potest? Sed tamen enitar et, si minus multa mihi occurrent, non fugiam ista popularia. Gerendus est mos, modo recte sentiat. Expressa vero in iis aetatibus, quae iam confirmatae sunt. Sed potestne rerum maior esse dissensio? Sed eum qui audiebant, quoad poterant, defendebant sententiam suam. Verba tu fingas et ea dicas, quae non sentias? An dolor longissimus quisque miserrimus, voluptatem non optabiliorem diuturnitas facit? Ita enim vivunt quidam, ut eorum vita refellatur oratio. Ea possunt paria non esse. Quid est igitur, inquit, quod requiras?
- Audit your focus.
Spend a week tracking how much you focus on factors that are out of your control ...
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Hoc dixerit potius Ennius: Nimium boni est, cui nihil est mali. Nisi enim id faceret, cur Plato Aegyptum peragravit, ut a sacerdotibus barbaris numeros et caelestia acciperet? Aufert enim sensus actionemque tollit omnem. Inscite autem medicinae et gubernationis ultimum cum ultimo sapientiae comparatur. Quae qui non vident, nihil umquam magnum ac cognitione dignum amaverunt. Ratio quidem vestra sic cogit. Primum cur ista res digna odio est, nisi quod est turpis? Quia voluptatem hanc esse sentiunt omnes, quam sensus accipiens movetur et iucunditate quadam perfunditur.
Ita similis erit ei finis boni, atque antea fuerat, neque idem tamen; Huic mori optimum esse propter desperationem sapientiae, illi propter spem vivere. Paulum, cum regem Persem captum adduceret, eodem flumine invectio? Vide, quantum, inquam, fallare, Torquate. Nihil ad rem! Ne sit sane; Sed tu istuc dixti bene Latine, parum plane. Quodsi ipsam honestatem undique pertectam atque absolutam. Illum mallem levares, quo optimum atque humanissimum virum, Cn. Itaque hic ipse iam pridem est reiectus;
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