Workshop Exercises: Understand
Circles of Influence
Identify key areas of influence and develop strategies to maximize impact
Why: Improve team productivity and focus by identifying areas of influence and potential distractions
When: Help teams get unstuck by identifying what and how they can impact decisions and align priorities accordingly
Instructions for running this play
- Frame the problem. Agree on the challenge or question you want to explore as a group. How Might We…* is a great way to frame the question.
- Draw three circles on a whiteboard or flipchart, with the smallest one in the center and the largest one on the outside. Label the circles as follows:
- Things I can control
- Things I can influence
- Things I have no control over
- Let the group do a 5 minute Silent Storming on individual sticky notes. For the three circles, topics might include
- My attitude, behavior, skills, work ethic
- My colleagues, my boss, my team, my stakeholders
- The economy, government regulations, other people’s opinion
- Have participants Playback their sticky notes and place them in the appropriate circle.
- Discuss. Ask the group to reflect on the result of each circle and discuss the potential impact on the problem or situation.
- Plan next steps, encourage participants to focus on the items in the two innermost circles.
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