Via AI News & Strategy Daily | Nate B Jones

“High agency” is better understood through a concept that psychologist Julian Rotter identified in the 1950s: Locus of Control.

Here’s a simple exercise that reveals where you actually stand. Take a piece of paper. Draw a circle on that piece of paper. Write down all the major elements in your life that matter to you: Family, friends, business, projects, education, your next promotion, the goals you’ve set. Whatever falls inside the circle is what you perceive is under your control. Whatever falls outside the circle is what you perceive is beyond your influence.

When people with lower agency do this exercise, more of the significant elements in their lives end up outside that circle. The next promotion? Outside; that’s up to the manager. The degree of learning required to get there? Outside; I don’t have the time. Major life changes? Outside; the economy, the job market—circumstances beyond my control.

For people with genuinely high agency, everything is inside the circle. Everything. The next promotion, the comp, the learning curve, the location, the skill development, absolutely everything without exception. Family goals, friendship goals, career goals, professional goals, AI goals, all inside.

— The People Getting Promoted All Have This One Thing in Common (AI Is Supercharging this Mindset), at 1:48

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AI Strategist and Product Leader Nate B. Jones says, “High agency is better understood through a concept that psychologist Julian Rotter identified in the 1950s—Locus of Control.”

Locus of control is the degree to which people believe that they, as opposed to external forces (beyond their influence), have control over the outcome of events in their lives. The concept was developed by Julian B. Rotter in 1954.¹

Assess your own locus of control through an exercise known as Circle of Control or Circle of Concern.

Take a piece of paper and draw two concentric circles.

In these circles, write down all the major elements in your life that matter: family, friends, business, projects, education, your next promotion, the goals you’ve set, etc.

• In the inner circle, place all elements of your life that you can directly control. This is the Circle of Control.
• In the outer circle, place all elements you can’t directly control but can influence. This is the Circle of Influence.
• Outside of the circles, place all the things you care about but can’t control or influence. This is the Circle of Concern.

How does this map to agency?

• Low agency people tend to place most of the significant elements of their life outside of the circles. The next promotion is up to the manager; learning time isn’t available; major life changes depend on the economy or circumstances. Low agency people have external locus of control.
• High agency people tend to place most elements inside the circles. The promotion, the compensation, the learning curve, the location, the skill development—they see all of these as things they can influence or directly control. High agency people have internal locus of control.

Research consistently shows internal locus of control correlates with 20-30% better outcomes.²

When high agency people hear anyone suggest something is beyond their control, they respond with four words: “That’s a skill issue.” They reframe obstacles as gaps in knowledge or preparation that can be addressed through learning and effort.

People with an internal locus of control—those who believe they primarily control their outcomes—demonstrate:

• Greater persistence when facing challenges
• Higher academic achievement
• Better professional outcomes
• More effective leadership
• Stronger entrepreneurial activity

Companies led by CEOs with an internal locus of control are more likely to survive difficult periods.

Consider: What are the top three items you’d want to move inside your circle of control this year?

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Footnotes

1. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locus_of_control (retrieved 2026Jan23) ↩︎
2. Internal Locus of Control and Improved Outcomes: https://chatgpt.com/canvas/shared/697361927544819188076c11d4ba546a (generated 2026Jan23) ↩︎