Today, I would like to share my thoughts on “Circle of Influence & Circle of Concern”
CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE – an area where your efforts can produce tangible results
CIRCLE OF CONCERN – an area where your efforts cannot produce tangible results
In my very early days in management, I wasn’t aware of this principle. I had all my plans lined up: I had a list of my team members I wanted their salaries raised, a training plan covering key team members, etc. I had all my arguments “properly” lined up. If my team members were properly motivated, we would definitely succeed… Unfortunately, that didn’t convince my boss… he rejected every single item on my proposal with the “excuse” that the company was going through some “cost cutting” moment. Honestly, that “excuse” didn’t mean anything to me then. I was very discouraged.
My mentor explained to me the CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE from “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey.
I went back to the drawing board and checked what I COULD DO taking my “NO-GO” areas into consideration. Then I called a team meeting and broke the sad news, but encouraged them to think about what we COULD DO considering all the limitations. Brilliant ideas came: We organised peer training sessions. We also bought some books that helped us prepare for professional certifications we needed. So we FOCUSED on what we could do in the circumstance. As my boss saw the results, one after another he granted me all the items on my initial plan without me asking again!
When we focus so much attention on the things that we are CONCERNED about but have no ability to change, the only tangible result may be more strands of grey hair. These CONCERNS actually increase in number and size! However, when our focus is on things that we can do something about, our CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE tends to expand outwards, taking over some of our concerns.
In other words, it is more beneficial to focus on CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE rather than CIRCLE OF CONCERN.
What are those things you can do something about in order to be successful on your job?
I suggest, your starting point is your “performance objectives” and job description. Why don’t you take a moment and look at them today?
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