Notes on: How to Use the Control Influence Accept Model

'Overwhelmed at Work: How to Use the Control Influence Accept Model' is an article originally published on mindtools.com.

What Does It Feel Like to Be Overwhelmed?

Taking on and doing too much can lead to feeling overwhelmed and this can cause stress. We can take control by shifting focus away from the sources that are causing us to feel anxious, and thinking about how to respond to them.

What Is the Control Influence Accept Model?

Neil Thompson and Sue Thompson first came up with the CIA model in their book, 'The Critically Reflective Practitioner' and it identifies 3 ways we can respond when we are feeling overwhelmed or stressed:

1. Control. Consider the aspects of the situation that you are in control of.

2. Influence. Consider the aspects that you cannot control, but that you can influence.

3. Accept. Consider the aspects that you cannot control or influence, and find a healthy way to accept and adapt.

Considering these three things helps put stressful situations into perspective and immediately gets you focusing in the right areas. There is an immediate effect in reducing feelings of anxiety and also a long-term benefit to your health with overall stress redution.

Taking Control

This helps you allocate resources to immediately working on the problem. There are two main areas to focus on:

1. Actions. Is there anything you can do right now that will help?

2. Emotions. Even in situations that seem completely out of our control, we can always focus on our emotions and behaviour and how we respond to them.

Plan your response to the situation consciously and ensure your goals are realistic.

Influencing

Somethings may be outside of our control, but we can use our knowledge and skills to influence other people that can help. How effective you are at influencing someone depends on your competence and trustworthiness. It is important to act with integrity so you can be more effective at influencing in the future.

Accepting

Giving up fighting a situation that is out of your control is not a sign of weakness, but rather shows you are resilient and mature. It shows you know how to identify where to put your energy and take control.

Use the situation as a learning moment: reflect on how you might do things differently in the future and consider making changes to your values, priorities and goals that may make sense.