Responding powerfully to injustice: Circles of Influence & Concern for Ukraine.
What do we do when we witness suffering caused by injustice?
It has been a week now since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
From the gruesome images of war and frightened refugees, to the sight of white people denying black and brown people access to refuge for being who they are, to the UK government's paltry response to the refugee crisis (plus ca change), for me at least there's been plenty of injustice provoking reactions in me this week.
If, like me, you've been refreshing the news more than usual, it's likely you have had all kinds of emotions rolling through your system...
Fury.
Worry.
Futility.
Guilt.
Powerlessness.
Fear.
Watching the news, scrolling through social media or outraged posting-for-likes can become placeholders for something more tangible.
When we feel this way, we don't discharge the distress hormones that build up in our system. As a result, we can often begin to lack perspective, losing sight of what's outside our power to change, and what's within it. The overwhelm sets in.
'I don't know what to do, but I can't look away.'
To paraphrase Steven Covey, spending so much time in our Circle of Concern - the place where we have no influence leads us to lose touch with our Circle of Influence - the place where we can be a contribution.
Have you heard of the Circles of Influence and Concern? This distinction is core to my work as a leadership coach and consultant.
I help people to develop the inner wisdom and capacity to lead change, including facing up to injustices in workplaces and organisational systems. I support clients to discern their Circle of Concern from their Circle of Influence so they can move from overwhelm to empowered action- for the sake of their own lives, and for the sake of the commitments they care about.
This week, feeling exhausted, guilty and overwhelmed. I asked myself, ‘What would I offer a client who was feeling like I am now?'
So I turned to Covey's two concentric circles, and did one for myself…
My Circles of Influence (inner) and Concern (outer) for Ukraine
Thursday 3rd March 2022
MY CIRCLE OF CONCERN
What's beyond my control
In the outer circle - My Circle of Concern - I gave language to all the things I could not change. Among them...
Putin's decisions
Priti Patel and Boris Johnson's arrogance
Parents trying to keep their kids safe in a war zone
War coming for us all
Years of trauma to come
Although depressing, it felt cathartic and grounding to name them, rather than letting them float around as amorphous fears.
MY CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE
What's within my control
And in the inner circle - My Circle of Influence - I wrote all the things that I had the power to do something about.
Donating to charities with partners in Ukraine, and to UK refugee charities and lobby groups
Campaigning to secure refugee rights in the UK
Volunteering my services to a group helping refugees to start UK businesses
Continuing my work supporting international peacemakers
Taking care of myself e.g. dancing
Staying informed but stopping my doom-scrolling
Keeping hopeful and not despairing
Praying for peace
To my surprise, the smaller circle I'd drawn filled up more quickly than I thought. Before long, some of them wouldn't even fit in the circle.
How comforting to know that even in this immense helplessness, there is more hope and power in me than I realised.
And I'm willing to bet that there's more hope and power in you than you realise, too.
If you too have been overwhelmed by the news - or by what's unfolding in your life - go ahead and try this exercise.
If you do, will you send me a picture? Or send me an insight you discovered? I'd love to see or hear from you what you find.
Whatever happens in the world, here's to resourcing ourselves well and naming what we CAN change. So that we can be a contribution, however small, to building a more just, compassionate and loving world.
Send me a pic of your Circles,
or tell me what you discovered.
Are you or your organisation experiencing overwhelm and stuckness?
Do you find yourself reacting hastily rather than responding powerfully?
I’d love to help you discover easier, smoother and more powerful leadership
through my Rebel Leadership Framework.
