Accelerate Using Your Circles Of Influence

As a Business Accelerator, we always start working from the inside out. We need to raise self-awareness and be respons-ABLE for our own lives. We need to control what we can control and change the way we think about the things we can’t. I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say that we’ve had a lot of things happen beyond our control this year! The not knowing what will happen and how we can plan ahead for 2021 eludes a whole source of anxiety for many of us and our businesses.

 Reframe your old way of thinking with a new and improved mindset

COVEY’S CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE

Every situation can be divided into two circles before we even begin to take action: the circle of concern, which consists of factors we have little or no influence over, and the circle of influence, which is made up of the things we can control.

I sometimes ask clients to draw these circles on a large piece of A3, stick it to their office wall and add post-it notes onto each of the circles as and when topics spring to mind. In the diagram, you can see that the circle of concern is blue and the circle of influence is white.

In the circle of concern, we can add examples of external events - such as the news, not being able to spend time with loved ones at Christmas, other people’s behaviour and the pandemic. The things that concern us are outside of our control. In contrast, everything in the white circle including our attitude and behaviour, what we watch on TV, and how we can choose to connect with others at Christmas, are within our control. 

The idea here is simple: By focusing on the things we can control – our LOCUS of control - we’ll expand our circle of influence. Beyond that, we’ll have a positive impact on those around us, and this, in turn, will cause the circle of concern to shrink. 

Event + Reaction = Outcome (Timothy Gallwey)

The way we emotionally react to a situation really does affect the outcome. Take Christmas as an example. Christmas is an event but the way we react to it affects the outcome. If we worry over the cost of presents and feel upset about not being able to visit our loved ones in their homes, rather than focus on our locus of control, then the outcome will be negative. If we focus on who we can surround ourselves with and how we can achieve this, be honest about what we can and can’t afford and focus on the spirit of Christmas, then the outcome will be positive. I invite you to write down what you can and can’t control in each of the circles to gain a subjective view and carry this with you into a wonderful and positive 2021!

Teresa Peters is our resident Geordie Accelerator Coach! Do you find yourself driving through a thick fog because your personal life and business has become convoluted? As an ICF accredited Executive Coach and Personal Performance Coach, Teresa empowers you to find clarity, focus and transformation, both professionally and personally, using a solution- focused approach and DiSC profiling. She has 2 successful businesses – one as co-founder of a book publisher for the hospitality sector (which has had to pause during lockdown) and her main business – Accelerator Coaching . 

Teresa offers a range of online and face to face support services to both male and female business owners and their teams. She finds great joy in working with couples and families who run businesses together, those making life changing decisions post redundancy or post hysterectomy who need a dynamic energetic champion and critical friend to unleash their full potential.