Throughout our personal development journey, we all have concerns, but not everything we care about is within our control. Stephen R. Covey’s Circle of Influence and Circle of Concern help us distinguish between these two areas so that we can direct our attention, energy, and actions toward what we can genuinely influence.
What Are the Circle of Influence and the Circle of Concern?
1. What Is the Circle of Influence?
The Circle of Influence encompasses the things a person can affect, change, or control to some degree.
Your Circle of Influence may include:
How you think about and respond to a situation.
Your attitude, words, and behavior.
How you use your time.
Your personal decisions.
How you communicate with and treat others.
The effort you bring to your work.
2. What Is the Circle of Concern?
The Circle of Concern encompasses the issues, events, or circumstances that command a person’s attention or cause worry, but that they may not be able to control or change directly. Examples include the state of the economy, the weather, other people’s opinions, organizational decisions, social events, and things that have already happened.
When people devote too much attention to matters beyond their influence, concern can easily turn into persistent worry and anxiety. This drains energy, weakens their sense of agency, and makes purposeful action more difficult.
Both concepts were introduced by Stephen R. Covey in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People®.” The two circles help us distinguish between what concerns us and what we can meaningfully influence, enabling us to direct our attention and energy toward actions that can create change.
This also reflects the core principle of Habit 1: Be Proactive®. Instead of reacting to circumstances or investing too much energy in matters beyond their control, proactive people choose how they think, respond, and act within the areas they can influence. In doing so, they become more effective in both work and life.
Why Shifting From the Circle of Concern to the Circle of Influence Matters
1. A Proactive Focus
Proactive people devote their time, energy, and attention to matters within their Circle of Influence. By acting on what they can control, they create opportunities to strengthen their capabilities, build credibility, and increase their influence. Over time, the positive results of these efforts can expand their Circle of Influence even further.
2. A Reactive Focus
When people continually worry, complain, or blame factors beyond their control, they are more likely to become reactive rather than proactive. Their energy is spent on things they cannot change, while actions that could produce meaningful results are delayed. Over time, this pattern can shrink their Circle of Influence.
3. Leverage and Responsibility
Shifting from the Circle of Concern to the Circle of Influence helps people recognize their responsibility and capacity to act in any given situation. Instead of waiting for circumstances to change, they can begin with a simple question: “What can I do to create a positive impact?” Small but consistent actions can become powerful levers for creating larger change.
4. Reducing Anxiety in Times of Uncertainty
Applying the Circle of Influence and Circle of Concern helps people distinguish between what they can and cannot control. This reduces anxiety, prevents energy from being wasted on matters beyond their reach, and directs attention toward actions that can genuinely make a difference. It is also a practical way to remain proactive, composed, and adaptable amid uncertainty.
Practical Steps for Applying the Model
The model can be used as a simple practice for identifying concerns, defining areas of influence, and turning attention into purposeful action.
Step 1: List what is worrying you. Write down the issues currently occupying your mind or consuming your energy.
Step 2: Sort them into the two circles. Identify which matters belong to your Circle of Influence and which belong to your Circle of Concern.
Step 3: Act on what you can influence. Identify specific actions within your control and take initiative to carry them out.
Step 4: Monitor your progress. Record the results, impact, and changes that follow each action.
Step 5: Reassess your concerns. Review your concerns, determine what has changed, and continue expanding your Circle of Influence.
6 Behaviors That Help High-Potential Employees Expand Their Influence
Formal authority may come with an appointment, but leadership capability is built through consistent behaviors practiced over time.
1. Start With Clarity
Connect individual goals with a meaningful sense of purpose, ensuring that everyone understands why the organization exists beyond making a profit. A simple question can provide a useful starting point: “Our team exists to [do what] for [whom] in order to [create what impact]?” If the answers differ, they reveal a clarity gap that needs to be addressed.
Widely different answers among team members may indicate a lack of alignment around purpose and priorities. Clarity creates a foundation that helps people understand what they are contributing to and become more proactive within their own Circle of Influence.
2. Lead With Questions Rather Than Answers
Move from being the person who always has the answer to someone who unlocks the potential of others. Instead of immediately giving instructions when a team member encounters a problem, use questions that help them recognize their own options:
“What approaches have you already tried?”
“What other options can you see?”
“What aspects of this situation are within your influence?”
“Which option would you like to prioritize first?”
This approach helps resolve the immediate issue while also strengthening employees’ autonomy and decision-making capability.
3. Empower People to Grow
Empowerment is not merely a way to reduce a manager’s workload. It is a strategy for building a team capable of taking on greater responsibilities.
Rather than assigning only familiar tasks, managers can delegate challenging assignments together with genuine ownership. The level of support should be adjusted to each employee’s actual capability and readiness instead of applying the same approach to everyone.
When people are given opportunities to make decisions, take responsibility, and learn from outcomes, their Circle of Influence has room to expand.
4. Make Feedback an Ongoing Practice
Consistent feedback helps employees recognize which behaviors create value, which need adjustment, and how their choices affect the wider team. One useful structure is: “I appreciate [specific action]. Its impact was [value created]. Please continue doing this because [long-term benefit to the team].”
When feedback becomes a natural part of work, people gain the information they need to adjust their behavior and increase their ability to influence outcomes.
5. Protect and Renew Energy
The ability to influence outcomes depends on more than capability. It also depends on each person’s energy. During periods of uncertainty, people can easily become consumed by news, meetings, notifications, and unresolved issues. Without intentional management, these factors continually compete for attention and drain energy.
It is therefore important to identify what consumes energy while creating little value.
One question to raise during team conversations is: “What consumes your energy every week that we could eliminate or change?”
Protecting energy does not mean avoiding challenges. It means preserving the clarity and focus needed to invest energy in the areas where a person can genuinely make a difference.
6. Turn 1-on-1s Into Performance Levers
A 1-on-1 should be more than a progress update or task review. It can provide a focused space for managers and employees to:
Remove barriers that are limiting performance.
Reassess available options and approaches.
Explore new perspectives.
Identify opportunities for empowerment.
Reinforce accountability.
When prepared with intention, a 1-on-1 becomes more than a recurring meeting. It becomes a lever for building capability and expanding an employee’s Circle of Influence.
In summary, use the Circle of Concern and the Circle of Influence as a daily filter. Invest your time and energy in what you can influence instead of exhausting yourself over matters beyond your control. This shift helps you move from reacting to acting proactively, expand your influence, and create more positive results.
Connect with FranklinCovey Vietnam to explore leadership and people-development solutions that can help turn a proactive mindset into behaviors that create lasting influence.
