Circle of Influence

Circle of Influence

Circle of influence is powerful concept that is taken from the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. It helps to focus on the things which are important and play an important role in our lives.

It can help people to take responsibility for their work, know their concerns, and become more effective, proactive, productive and happier in life.

To be more proactive in life, we must assess ourselves where we focus our time and energy. Our focus and energy consumption determine the degree of Proactivity.

Many people waste time on the things which cannot be changed. In life, there are things that we can change and influence and on the other hand there are things we cannot change and out of our control and we just have to accept them.

The successful, effective and influential people define their circle of influence and they take into consideration the things which are really important and matter in their life.

The other related concept to the circle of influence is Circle of Concern. This is the outer circle and many things in life fall in this circle. What we can control fall in circle of influence and that we can’t control fall within circle of concern.

The problems, challenges and opportunities we face fall into two areas, circle of influence and circle of concern.

Proactive People

The focus of efforts of proactive people is circle of influence. They work on the things that they can control and do something about. These kinds of people have positive energy, which is enlarging and magnifying that cause circle of influence to increase.

Reactive People

Reactive people focus their efforts on circle of concern. They work on the things which are not in their control. For example, circumstances which they can’t control, attitude of other people, problems in the environment, and reactive language.

By focusing the energy on these things and neglect of areas they could do something about cause their circle of influence to shrink and they become less effective in life.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do you use Circle of Influence?

It is quite simple; at first step being proactive you must identify your circle of influence. This means the things in your life that are important and affect you in one way or other. Then identify the things which you can control and the most important for you. All of the things in circle of concern may not be in your control, or may be less important.

By working on these things will make you effective and this way you can expand your circle of influence.

When you focus on circle of concern and circle of influence?

In life all things fall in these two areas. The reactive people always focus on circle of concern. By focusing on circle of concern it makes them less effective and it shrinks circle of influence. On the other hand, proactive people focus on the circle of influence. Where they can influence and control the things which are important and they expand their circle of influence.

Or we focus on circle of concern to know which things are in our circle of concern. Which, things we can control and which not. And what are things we should bring and drag them to the circle of influence.

What is the circle of control theory?

Circle of control is the circle within circle of influence. It illustrates the things we can control them completely. There may be a lot of things and events out of our control. Some of the things fall in the area of circle of concern will go straight in circle of control. And some of them will fall in the circle of influence. Where we can’t control fully, but influence them in one way or other. Circle of control helps people to stop worrying about the things which are not in control and accepting and acknowledging them can give some relief.

What does a proactive focus do for the Circle of Influence?

Proactive approach or focus an important habit of successful and effective people. They use proactive approach a tool to get things done. Proactive focus can help us to focus on the circle of influence. This means to identify the things we can control and influence and that can lead us to success and happier life. It helps not to worry for the things we can’t control.

How do you expand the Circle of Influence?

We can expand our circle of influence by these ways, such as is a better listener, be a more loving marriage partner, be a better student, be a more cooperative and dedicated employee. And more importantly is a proactive.

By accepting the things out of our control can help to expand the circle of influence. For example, we can’t change weather, but we can change our attitude about weather.

What is Circle of Concern?

In order to achieve effectiveness in life, we must understand our circle of concern. Every person has his/her circle of concern.

Circle of concern comprises wide range of concerns we each have in life such as family, health, work, finance, and other things like government policies, national debts, wars, and increase in the prices etc.

Within circle of concern there are things for which we have no control or little control, but on the other hand there are things we can do something about.

As mentioned before reactive people concentrate and focus on the things they can’t change and do something about. They just blame people and government for wrong policies rather than working on the things they can change.

What is Circle of Influence?

The circle of influence includes the concerns we can do something about. Those are the concerns where we have some control over.

For example, if a person has problem of health, he can get medicines or can get the help of a doctor, or he can change the diet, there are many options to handle the situation.

On the other hand, for example if there is change in the prices of products as a result of government policy, in this situation a person has no control to influence and change the prices. But the only option is to accept it.

We should focus the concerns where we can influence and change the situation. Proactive people work in the same way; they drag the concerns in the circle of influence that can be changed.

The problems that fall in our direct control can be solved by working on our habits. For example, we are responsible for our own behaviour. We are in direct control, to change and control it.

Be Proactive

Proactive approach as defined by Stephen Covey plays an important role in our lives. This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people.

Proactive approach is the first step towards the solution of all kind of problems within our circle of influence. It makes us responsible for our decisions, behaviours and being responsible for our own lives.

It directs our energy towards concerns that fall in the circle of influence and we can do something about.

How to determine Concerns?

Stephen Covey mentioned how to determine which circle our concern is. He refers to have’s and be’s. Further mentioned the circle of concern is filled with Have’s and the circle of influence is filled with Be’s.

Circle of Concern (Have’s)	Circle of Influence (Be’s)
I will be happy if I have more resources If only I had a boss who was not such a dictator If only if I had more patient wife If I had respect from them If I had a degree	I can be more resourceful I can be more organised I can be more patient husband I can be more respectful I can be happy without degree

These are just the examples and we can put more and more have’s and be’s in the table. The only purpose is to understand how the circle of concern and circle of influence can be.

Conclusion; to be effective in life it is an essential to understand the concept of circle of influence. It can play an important role in solving the problems and challenges. Effective and successful people always work on circle of influence rather than wasting energy on the concerns that can’t be changed.

What is your circle of influence? You must find answer to this question, when you find answer it will play a major role in your life.