Circle of influence 

Single work

Drawing material (paper, markers, colour pencils, etc.)

No significant  preparation is needed. Only to have available the necessary material.

The time for preparation can vary from one individual to another.

This is a self-paced exercise that doesn’t require the involvement of a trainer.

Stephen Covey introduced the concept of the Circle of Influence and Circle of Concern in his book ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’.

The Circle of Influence helps people to easily separate that which they can control from that they cannot. Within a few minutes, a person can get a good idea of how they can use their time more effectively.

Through this method/action, these benefits are achieved:

• Determine things you can influence
• Confront your fears
• Develop resilience
• Manage priorities
• Learn to be proactive
• Cope better with your anxieties
• Communicate better with others
• Increase productivity
• Feel empowered
• Bring relief and reduce stress as you acknowledge and let go of issues that are out of your control

Applying the Control-Influence-Accept (CIA) model

Step 1: Review the situation

Consider the situation that is overwhelming you (e.g. a project, a structure change, some other major change/challenge), break it into smaller parts, making a short list of or drawing your concerns. At this point, the artist proposes to better make a drawing of the situation and the emotions it causes you. You may use different colours of markers or any other technique you prefer. The point here is not to create a perfect piece of art but to express your emotions, visualise your concerns, and through that process to better understand the connection of the fact itself with the way it makes you feel.

Step 2: Draw your Circle of Influence

Draw your own set of 3 circles (or another graphic eg a table with 3 columns). Reviewing the situation/your concerns, ask yourself questions like the ones below, to help you fill in the circles/columns with things in your control (circle 1), things you can influence (circle 2) and things outside your control (circle 3) (what you need to accept/mitigate).

• C - Control the Things That You Can Control

This is about you– the one thing in life that you have control over. It is where you should be focusing a lot of your energies and efforts. It is about your self-awareness and self-control. Changes, challenges and problems can arise at any time. Therefore, it's important to identify the things that you can control. These things will most likely be your attitude, reactions, behaviour and emotions, and the decisions that you make in response to a change or problem.

Ask yourself questions like:

-What are the issues or elements of the situation I can control?

-What control do I have over this? Do I have direct control, indirect control (influence) or is it out of my control?

-What can I do about this?

-Is this my problem?

• I - Influence What You Can Influence

This is the area of influence where you need to take the time to communicate effectively. Having a good level of influence is the next best thing to having control and helping you affect the outcome of a situation. There are many ways you can extend your personal influence e.g. building your personal power base through networking and developing expertise/charisma; sharing your ideas/experiences in meetings; having a conversation with a colleague where a situation impacts on both of you; boosting your skills in areas such as stakeholder management, win-win negotiation – these are useful tools for working out what makes other people tick, and how you can influence them. Then, when a difficult situation arises, your opinion and advice will carry more weight, and the trust that others have in you could sway them to accept your ideas or solutions.

Ask yourself questions like:

-What are the elements that I can't control but I can influence?

-What influence do I have?

-If I have influence, how much? (rate from 1-10: 1 no influence, 10 very high influence)

-If I have direct control, what actions can I take?

-If I have indirect control, who does have influence in this situation? Who can I speak to and who can support me?

-How much time, energy, money, or other resources does it make sense to devote to trying to influence this person or situation?

-If I have no control, what can I do in my Circle of Control that will help me accept what is?

If your influence is less than “5”, focus on acceptance. If your influence is greater than “5”, do you really have as much influence as you think? What’s the evidence?

• A - Accept – but Manage – What You Cannot Control or Influence

Outside - This is the area where decisions are made that you cannot directly control. Change is constant and we should try to minimise the time and energy we spend worrying about things beyond our control. Although we cannot always control ‘what’ happens, we can control ‘how’ we approach these changes. We can find ways to support ourselves and identify what we can influence. In this way we move away from the ‘Outside’ (concern) and expand our ‘Influence’ and ‘Control’. Through approaches such as developing resilience, mindfulness, establishing support networks, you will demonstrate a proactive way of coping that allows you to prioritise and make practical decisions.

Ask yourself questions like:

-What are the things that I can neither control nor influence that require me to adapt accordingly or mitigate in some way?

-What personal coping strategies can I develop or draw on to help me?

Step 3: How are you going to apply this knowledge?

You might want to spend a little time reflecting on the following questions to help:

-Where am I currently spending most of my time – in the circle of concern (outside) or influence?

-Am I currently being as personally effective as I can be in my life?

-What strategies or tools could I use to help me to make changes or transform my life?

Eleni Papadopoulou

IlEleni Papadopoulou is a Painter, Teacher of Visual Arts & Drama Artist, Designer-Animator of Mixed Art Programs with many years of experience, diverse work of art and recognized teaching ability. She has studied Technologist-Radiologist, Painting, Ceramics and Greek Culture, writes and narrates fairy tales, illustrates books, designs and constructs sets & objects for theatrical performances, while she is currently writing her dissertation at postgraduate program "Dramatic Art and Performing Arts in Education and in lifelong learning "of the School of Fine Arts of the University of Peloponnese.

Visual Arts

Greek