Circles of Concern Vs Circles of Influence

Picture in your mind two circles – the first one being a large round circle called the circle of concern – now picture a smaller tighter circle that lives inside the larger round circle and let’s call this the circle of influence.

So what is the difference between the two and how does this impact me on an everyday basis – everyday we get to make choices – what we have for breakfast, what cloths we put on, how we get ourselves to work, do we exercise or don’t we, what do I watch, read or listen to, who do I choose to spend time with and so on and so fourth.

These are all things that live inside the circle of influence along with how I manage my reactions to things, how I prepare for my work day and what targets I set out to achieve. Working in your circle of influence gives you the power to make decisions, manage outcomes and essentially be self-focussed on delivering the best possible day and set of outcomes for you and others.

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Now lets look at the circle of concern and how this can distract and trap you from achieving positive outcomes on a daily basis – the circle of concern is that space that is both attractive to you but also in the long run potentially a place of detriment.

Imagine the circle of concern as the spot by the water cooler at work were everyone goes to run a commentary on the daily events of the workplace, the comments and critiques of others and how they are not performing, how if only they would lift their game, we could all do better.

It’s the place were all the problems in your workplace are always the managers/owners or someone else’s fault and never is it the problem of those at the cooler.

In our personal life its that place were we say – if only Tim would do that then I could do this. It’s the place we burn endless minutes and hours judging and being concerned about the actions of others, events we can't control and forming opinions then sharing them in the café in the absence of said party.

Now don’t get me wrong I’ve spent as much time if not more than the average Jane or John at the water cooler. I call on the circle of concern to espouse my wisdom on a whole range of topics and people, forming opinions, making unwanted recommendations and largely burning a whole heap of precious time on matters that I can not influence and that is the whole point – I’m concerned by these things but largely powerless to change them – so why do I visit the circle of concern more than I visit my circle of influence?

There is a couple of significant reasons for this firstly, its actually can be fun! Humans are social creatures we love stories, we love to interact with others and we often always find a way to make a contribution (be it wanted or otherwise). We love connection and the circle of concern provides us the fodder to discuss issues that are at arms length to us but allow for the creation of common ground creating the opportunity to bond and build relationships.

Building relationships is a healthy and positive activity that delivers a whole raft of well being benefits. The challenge is that if the relationships are built on the common ground of the judgement of others or the desire for things to be significantly different or changed over time these relationships can take on a dark and heavy tone that is set by the circle of concern subject matter at the water cooler.

The purpose of drawing attention to the two circles and how they interact with one another is not in some form of dictatorial fashion to say you have to stay in your circle of influence but to draw attention to the fact that when you are thinking about the world of others, events beyond your control and wishing someone or something was different you are most likely operating in the larger circle of concern. Identifying this is helpful in managing your own ambitions, desires and goals. It gives you the chance to ask the question can I pull this matter from a circle of concern matter into my circle of influence and impact a positive change/outcome.

In some instances no doubt you will be able to do this, in other instances it will be beyond your control or desire to want to get involved.

The circle of influence is the zone or space that allows us to optimise our performance, deliver beyond expectations and largely achieve many more things than we believe we can – we will spend our whole life moving between these two circles and it pays to be aware of the amount of time we dedicate to each circle.

Take a moment to review the last few days events and and yourself - What moments have I spent in the circle of concern and what moments have I spent in my circle of influence - when you tot it up you might be surprised.

If you would like to discuss this concept further or explore anything else relating to people, how we perform and the broad space that is culture feel free to drop me a line - always happy to chat, listen and learn.