Course 3: PL 102 - The Problem is the Path (Discussion 1)

1.) - Circle of Concern: other people's opinion, the news, the pandemic

- Circle of Influence: my attitude, the skills I learn, what I buy

- Reminder: pay attention to what I can control also as they affect my life directly

2.) The man increased his effectiveness by focusing on his inner circle of influence. He read the president's concern with empathy, he understood the strengths and weaknesses of the team/president, and he focused on solutions.. Little by little, his circle of influence continued to expand to the extent that eventually no one made any significant moves in the organization without that man's involvement and approval, including the president.

@GlenM

1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.

3 things in my circle of concern:

• Global infection rates of COVID-19
• Whether my friend does well on his exam
• Whether my election ballot will be received and counted

3 things in my circle of influence:

• My diet
• My exercise habits
• What I say in my interactions with others on this site

Reminder:

• Reassure myself that by focusing on things within my circle of influence, that circle gradually expands and it becomes realistically possible to influence more things in my circle of concern.

2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?

What stands out to me personally is their empathy.

• They were able to empathize with multiple perspectives.
  • Executives: the president's actions were disruptive, inefficient, and stress-inducing.
  • President: there are certain things he cares about, wants to be right, and feels he can manage better than other people.
• Because of this empathy, they were able to design an approach that would alleviate the concerns of both sides.
• Because of this empathy, they were also able to communicate this plan in a way that was appealing to everyone and made them want to follow that plan.

I guess what makes the executive proactive is that they effectively started from scratch and solved a problem by utilizing what was within their control. Nobody told them to solve the problem, but they happened to notice the problem and felt like it was something that could possibly be improved. They saw all sides of the situation, planned a possible course of action, persuaded people it was worth doing, and then put it into action. Then as noted in the video, because that plan succeeded and everyone was happy with the results, they were happy entrusting the executive with other decisions, thereby increasing his power/circle of influence.

@GlenM

3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.

My circle of concern - my husbands and my own health - the ways our societies are developing (caring for each other, violence) - health of our planet

My circle of influence - how I respond to challenges and change, my happiness, educate myself to offer better support to others

One thing to remind myself is “Life is what I decide to make out of it”

Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?

This executive was a good observer and wanted things to improve for everyone, he responded to the situation. He looked at what had room for improvement and took the initiative to find solutions by including the team and by complementing his boss without creating a negative image about him.

Bonus: Check out chapter 8 of the book 7 Cups for the Searching Soul (more in the next discussion) for a deeper dive into learning more about accepting what we cannot control.

This is an amazing chapter, it shows so clearly how much we can impact our well-being, our happiness.

1.

3 things of concern: money, job and career, relationship ( bonus: climate change, income gap and war)

3 things in my circle of influence: my health, my work performance, care for others.

To remind me to focus on my circle of influence I have to remember there are things that I can't control and there is no point of worrying about it if I can't do anything about it, but maybe make changes in my limited way such as text my mom more often, stay away from drama and be myself, improve on my skill and maybe takes some classes.

2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?

The executive was proactive and empathized with the director, he listened and worked hard to give what the director needs. He participated, empathized and took the initiative. Instead of criticising the director, the executive works on his strength. By focusing on the inner circle of influence, he expands his circle of influence.

@GlenM

My 3 things in my circle of concern:

1) climate change

2) alzheimers in family

3) women's issues

The 3 things in my circle of influence:

1) use less plastic, drive electric car

2) Advocate for support for Alzheimers research by volunteering for the organization

3) Provide career coaching to help women get back in the workforce

One thing I can do to remind myself to focus on my circle of infuence is to try to remember that we are all just one drop water, but that together we make an ocean through our individual contributions. This quote hangs in my office as a daily reminder :)

The executive in the video looked for proactive and productive ways to build a complementary partnership with his boss so that the overall impact resulted in the whole team being successful.

They looked for ways to bolster the things that the boss needed improvement in. This was done instead of going against him and creating more issues, they worked together to complement his skills.

1. Identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.

--- 3 things in my circle or concern : Global Warming, Covid19 & General Mental Health of the world, Women's Safety.

3 things in my circle of influence : Sustainable and eco friendly lifestyle habits, Mental Health support to families (who I know) fighting or succumbing to Covid, Educating children to treat women with respect to reduce assault against women in future.

One thing I can do to remind myself of my circle of influence is to make a personal mission statement about my concerns so I can use it in a positive way and be proactive towards the statement through all my actions, instead of being reactive towards it.

2. Highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?

---This executive is calm, observant, patient, and proactive.

They focused on the solution, not on the problem. It takes a very positive mind to be proactive. Only then one can stop complaining, see the situation more deeply, and avoid triangulation. Reactive mindset only continues the situation like a loop, without leading to a concrete solution.

identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.

Global warming, my grandma's health, my mom's health are in my circle of concern

My mental health, my performance on 7 cups, my relationship with my parents are all in my circle of influence

One thing I can do to remind myself is to write it down in my journal.

highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?

He is proactive and he focuses on his circle of influence. He emphasizes with his co-workers and his boss and compensates for weaknesses. He did not talk bad about his boss and he didn't focus on things he couldn't change.

@GlenM

@GlenM

1. Identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.

3 things in my circle of concern

- Success in the search for a Coronavirus Vaccine

- US – China conflict

- The bad parenting I had from my parents

3 things in my circle of influence

- Taking precautions against Covid contagion

- Eating a heathy diet

- Forgive my parents for what they did to me

One thing I can do to remind myself to focus on my circle of influence.

Remind me that I can affect, at least to a small degree, things within my circle of influence. I even have total control over some of these. But I cannot change in any way the things within my circle of concern that are outside my circle of influence. So it would be a waste of my (limited) energy to focus on those, and a distraction out of the things I can change for the better, that are all within my circle of influence.

2. What did the executive in the video that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?

He analyzed the way of thinking of his boss. Instead of just complaining for his upsetting style (like his colleagues did), he dug deeper into the concerns that troubled him and took the initiative to address them in advance. So he reassured his boss, making him less anxious and upsetting, and in this way, he improved both the "human climate", and the effectiveness of the whole team.

1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.
▶︎ Three things in my circle of concern are my college applications, the health and safety of my friends, and the current state of global affairs.
▶︎ Three things in my circle of influence are my own work habits, my interactions with my friends, and my consumption and reaction to media.
▶︎ To remind myself to focus on my circle of influence, I can ask myself: is what I am worried about an issue that I can realistically control or a situation that I have the power to change? If not, how can I reduce the problem to a smaller, more manageable, level where I can successfully take action?

2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?
What stood out most to me was the contrast between the executive and his colleagues: while his colleagues sat around and complained about the president, the executive decided to take action rather than to join in. He was focused on his circle of influence, looking for ways to work around the president's weaknesses and prevent them from impeding upon the success of the business, while his coworkers were focused on their circle of concern.

Violet