Circle of Concern v Influence + Control

“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control.”

Popularised by Stephen Covey, this concept explores three spheres:

·??????The Circle of Concern –the wide range of worries we might have about a topic

·??????The Circle of Influence –a narrowing of the first circle into those worries we can do something about –either directly or indirectly

·??????The Circle of Control –an even smaller circle, representing the things we can actually directly do something about

?If we focus on the concerns outside our influence, we risk increasing our stress and falling into the space of accusing, blaming, and victimisation.

?By choosing to focus on the circle of influence –we move into a more proactive space. Rather than spending energy on things we can do nothing about, we can take steps that make a positive difference –calling on our strengths and connections. And we can also choose to let go of concerns that are not serving us well.

?The Concept

In his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen Covey articulates this point by distinguishing between our Circle of Concern (things we care about but can’t control) and our Circle of Influence (things we care about and can impact)??

The Circle of Concern vs The Circle of Influence

The “Circle of Concern” includes the wide range of concerns you have in the world, your work and life – including health, family, finances, the economy, neighbours, friends, organization etc. Everything you include inside the circle is a concern and matters to you and everything outside the circle is of little or no concern to you.

Some of the things you find yourself concerned about are outside of your control and some are inside your realm of control. For example – you may be concerned about the health of a neighbour or the lifestyle of any other employee, however can you really do anything about it? This is why it is important to identify your Circle of Influence within your Circle of Concern.?

Your Circle of Influence are the things of concern where you can do something about. For example – you may be worried about your friend’s professional growth or their health or maybe your organizations revenue. But as we react, we tend to focus on the Circle of Concern, which depletes our energy, because we have no control over it. The energy focused on the Circle of Concern is negative. If you focus on the Circle of Concern and neglect the Circle of Influence, eventually the Circle of Influence will get smaller. This will add to feelings of stress and helplessness, because you cannot change anything in the Circle of Concern.

Adding the Circle of Control...

Essentially, I believe there are 2 levels of Influence- Direct, the Circle of Control and Indirect, the Circle of Influence, so it just makes it clearer to articulate the power of choice. Subsequently – the diagram would look like this –

By successfully focusing on the things we can influence within our own life, family, or business (e.g. our own actions, behaviours, planning, etc), that impact our own lives directly, we can indirectly have an impact on a larger scale. For example, by focusing on your own job/project, you not only directly affect your own growth, but may begin to have an influence in the larger picture of company growth.?

In contrast, by spending too much time focused on the things we can’t control in our life, family, or business, we may actually reduce our influence on the things we should be able to control directly. Using the same example above, it’s not difficult to imagine a scenario where an unhealthy concern may lead us to make a reactive decision (e.g. changing your living style due to someone else) which then backfires and reduces our ability to manoeuvre later.?This negative focus can create unintended negative outcomes.

To summarise –

Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circles of Influence & Control, which is the area we have control over and we can act upon. They work on the things they can do something about:?health, children, business, or work. When you act on your Circle of Influence you are able to reduce stress levels and increase happiness, because you can initiate and influence change.

Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern--things over which they have little or no control: the national debt, terrorism, or the weather. Reactive people tend to neglect those issues that are under their control and influence. Their focus is elsewhere and their Circle of Influence shrinks.

Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies is a giant step in becoming proactive. This concept is easy to remember and is a great tool to direct our energy and actions in meaningful ways on things we do have control over.

Why it’s useful

Facilitating this thinking in yourself, or in others, helps to limit wasteful rumination and inaction. Altering thinking to a proactive focus can enhance productivity, help people see a greater connection to progress and achievement, and also to build resilience.

Over to You...

So now that you know about the Circles of Concern, Influence and Control, how are you going to apply this knowledge? You might like to invest some time reflecting on the following questions –

1. Where are you currently spending the majority of your focus & time? In the circle of concern or influence?

2. Are you currently being as personally effective as you can in your life?

3. What strategies or tools could you use to help you focus on the things you can control and transform your life?

4. What can you do today to expand your Circle of Influence to build more positive energy in your life and at work?