Do you know your ‘Circle of Influence’?
In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989) Stephen Covey reminds us that we all have a certain amount of influence within the world. We can affect people and things—even when we cannot fully control them. Even tiny babies very quickly learn that they can have an influence in the world. They learn to ‘control’ their parents by smiling, or crying; and older babies soon learn they can make someone ‘fetch’ the things they drop or throw.
As adults the things we can affect, or influence, (either directly or indirectly) through our words, actions and behaviours fall within what Stephen Covey calls our ‘Circle of Influence’. For some people this circle is larger than it is for others—but everyone has their own Circle of Influence.
We also have a wide range of concerns in our lives—we may be concerned about the environment, housing, our own health, or the health of others. We may be worried about personal debt, interest rates, racism, or third world poverty. There are many things we may be concerned about and many of them are outside our control. This is our Circle of Concerns.
Stephen Covey reminds us that we have a choice about how we carry our concerns—and how we choose to respond to them. We have a choice about where and how we direct our energy and attention. We can choose to focus our attention on things which are outside our Circle of Influence. So we can complain about prices, interest rates, the government, war, racism, poverty and so on. We can be annoyed and resentful about many of the things beyond our control. We can blame others (we have already talked about ‘Why blaming doesn’t work’ in this space). This negative thinking and lack of action to change the things we are concerned about is dis-empowering. Blaming others and complaining actually causes our Circle of Influence to shrink.
Alternatively we can choose to focus on things that are within our Circle of Influence. If we are concerned about the environment, for instance, we can choose to use less water, or to reduce, re-use and re-cycle material goods where ever possible. We can choose to ‘think global and act local’ in all sorts of ways. We can focus our energy on those aspects of big problems or global concerns that we can influence through our own daily actions, words and deeds. We do not need to be in control of everything (or everyone else). We need to be in control of ourselves and we need to make choices, to speak and to act in ways that will make a positive difference. Even if it is in some small or indirect way, we can have influence in the world.
The more we act in this positive way the more our Circle of Influence grows. By working within our Circle of Influence, our circle expands outwards to address our wider Circle of Concerns. We don’t waste energy on things we can do nothing about. Instead, we direct our energy and attention to things (even if they’re small things) that we can change or influence. This process is empowering—it builds confidence, self-esteem and it builds even more influence. The more we behave in this way, the more we see our Circle of Influence expand.
We invite you to exercise your Circle of Influence—think ‘big’ and act within your ‘circle’ to make a difference. Tell us your story. We look forward to hearing from you.
Dr Peter Waterhouse
'Work-Doctor' at Workplace Learning Initiatives Pty Ltd
Related Articles:
As adults the things we can affect, or influence, (either directly or indirectly) through our words, actions and behaviours fall within what Stephen Covey calls our ‘Circle of Influence’. For some people this circle is larger than it is for others—but everyone has their own Circle of Influence. We also have a wide range of concerns in our lives—we may be concerned about the environment, housing, our own health, or the health of others. We may be worried about personal debt, interest rates, racism, or third world poverty. There are many things we may be concerned about and many of them are outside our control. This is our Circle of Concerns.
Stephen Covey reminds us that we have a choice about how we carry our concerns—and how we choose to respond to them. We have a choice about where and how we direct our energy and attention. We can choose to focus our attention on things which are outside our Circle of Influence. So we can complain about prices, interest rates, the government, war, racism, poverty and so on. We can be annoyed and resentful about many of the things beyond our control. We can blame others (we have already talked about ‘Why blaming doesn’t work’ in this space). This negative thinking and lack of action to change the things we are concerned about is dis-empowering. Blaming others and complaining actually causes our Circle of Influence to shrink.
Alternatively we can choose to focus on things that are within our Circle of Influence. If we are concerned about the environment, for instance, we can choose to use less water, or to reduce, re-use and re-cycle material goods where ever possible. We can choose to ‘think global and act local’ in all sorts of ways. We can focus our energy on those aspects of big problems or global concerns that we can influence through our own daily actions, words and deeds. We do not need to be in control of everything (or everyone else). We need to be in control of ourselves and we need to make choices, to speak and to act in ways that will make a positive difference. Even if it is in some small or indirect way, we can have influence in the world.
The more we act in this positive way the more our Circle of Influence grows. By working within our Circle of Influence, our circle expands outwards to address our wider Circle of Concerns. We don’t waste energy on things we can do nothing about. Instead, we direct our energy and attention to things (even if they’re small things) that we can change or influence. This process is empowering—it builds confidence, self-esteem and it builds even more influence. The more we behave in this way, the more we see our Circle of Influence expand.
We invite you to exercise your Circle of Influence—think ‘big’ and act within your ‘circle’ to make a difference. Tell us your story. We look forward to hearing from you.
Dr Peter Waterhouse
'Work-Doctor' at Workplace Learning Initiatives Pty Ltd
Related Articles:
- Why blaming doesn’t work
- Is your workplace sick?
- Symptoms of a sick workplace
- Curing a sick workplace: Coffee and cake, or onions?
Labels: circle of concern, circle of influence, communication, problem solving, workplace culture, workplace learning
posted by Workplace Learning Initiatives at
1:25 PM
2 Comments:
Excellent information and very useful
I have found that by focusing on things that l can change or have infulence on, Im achieving much better results and outcomes in both work related tasks and person life.
Many thanks for the information
Luke W
By
Anonymous, At
26 November 2009 9:43 AM
Hi Luke,
You've made a valid point. There is a Zen Buddhist philosophy that goes something like this. "If there is an issue or problem that you can do something about, then do it. If you can’t do something about it, don’t worry about it. Worrying about something we can’t do something about distracts us from our purpose and can, if left to fester, eventually affect our well being. By taking the approach that you have, you’ve discovered that you can be much more productive, and coincidentally, happier for it.
Peter H
By
Peter Hancock, At
26 November 2009 10:47 AM
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