What Circle Are You In?

I am hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu later this year and there are many unknowns leading up to it: How will the altitude affect me? How will my feet hold out on the downhill? What will the weather be like? Will I be able to find food on the trail? (I'm celiac so that isn't always easy).

Any time I find myself with too much uncertainty, I go back to a familiar model that helps me focus my energy and attention on things I can control or influence to actually make a difference.

In the model, the inner circle is your Circle of Control. This is what YOU can directly change. In a workplace it is a project you have control over or are responsible for, decisions you make, your actions, your mindset, your habits. In the case of my trek, I have control over how often I train and for how long. I can go on other hikes to test my gear and my body.

Next is your Circle of Influence. This is sometimes trickier to see where it starts and ends. In general, it's something you can influence, but it’s not fully in your control. It could be a project, a situation, a decision, other people. This is often where leadership actually shows up, even when you don’t have formal authority. For my trek, I can contact the trail guides ahead of time to see about celiac-friendly meals (I cannot guarantee the outcome, but I can advocate and prepare). I can visit high altitude places before the trek to improve my body's chances of good acclimatisation.

The outer circle is the Circle of Concern. These are things you care about or are concerned about, but you have no real power over them. This could include weather, political unrest, sudden illness, landslides. I care about these things, and there are some things I can do to be ready to adapt to them, but overall I don't have much control over them.

Where you focus your energy matters.

If we extrapolate to workplaces, most burnout I see isn’t from people working too hard, it’s from pushing against things you can’t realistically change. If you spend too much time in the Circle of Concern, you’ll be frustrated and ineffective. If you only stay in the Circle of Control, you may feel safe and you will likely be efficient, but you may also feel stuck or not valued for your opinion or expertise. Growth, impact, and leadership often require stretching into your Circle of Influence.

An example: Over the last few years, I’ve seen a lot of professionals struggle with back to office mandates. Early on, there was room to influence, especially if you were a leader, union rep, or part of HR. But as policies became more specific and rigid, three days, then four, and eventually five, that space for influence shrank.

For many people, the more productive shift in their attention was toward their Circle of Control and Influence: things like how they structured their workday, how they commuted, how teams coordinated in office days, or how in office time was actually used. Influence didn’t disappear, it just shifted, from the policy to the experience of it.

Here are a few questions I ask myself or my clients:

• Who is making the ultimate decision? Do I have any sway over them?

• Is there still a window for influence, or has that closed? Or will the timing be better later?

• Where might I be confusing caring deeply with having control?

• What actions are available to me, even if I can’t change the bigger picture?

• If I redirected even a small amount of energy, where would it make the biggest difference right now?

This model doesn’t solve everything. But a quick check in as to which circles you are in or have access to helps you make smarter decisions about where to invest your energy. Being deliberate about where you spend your energy matters more than ever.