MODEL AND GUIDE
Circles of control, influence and concern
Sort what is on your mind into what you can control, what you can influence and what you can only watch. Three circles, an action sheet and a short guide.
Free · A PDF with a circles template, an action sheet and a user guide, sent to your inbox
Three kinds of worry
Ask a leader what is keeping them awake and the list usually mixes a decision they could make tomorrow, a colleague they could talk to, and a forecast they can do nothing about. At 3 in the morning they all feel equally heavy.
The circles sort them in about 20 minutes. Then you put your effort where it can make a difference, and decide when to look at the rest again.
What is in it
- A short introduction. Where the idea comes from, and what it is not.
- Template A, the circles. Control, influence and concern, ready to fill in.
- Template B, actions. One action or decision for each item, with a date.
- The user guide. 7 steps, with 2 questions that sort each item.
Items can move between circles. The guide shows you where to look.
Who is it for
Three readers with a change they want and have not yet made.
The senior leader
Board pressure, market news and a team to lead. Worth separating what is yours to move.
The founder
Every problem lands on your desk. Some of them belong in the outer circle.
The newly promoted
A wider view brings wider worries. This keeps your effort where it counts.
Want to talk your circles through?
The circles are quick to draw and harder to live by. A coach is most useful at the border between influence and concern, where we tend to give up a little too early.