{"id":139643,"date":"2025-06-03T18:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/?p=139643"},"modified":"2025-06-03T18:16:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T16:16:24","slug":"the-circle-of-influence-external-internal-factors-in-the-guest-encounter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/the-circle-of-influence-external-internal-factors-in-the-guest-encounter\/","title":{"rendered":"The Circle of Influence (External &amp; Internal Factors) in the Guest Encounter"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b\"]{font-style:normal;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<h3 class=\"kt-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading139643_380b00-3b\"><em>A guide for you as a leader<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/paverkanscirkeln-yttre-inre-faktorer-i-gastmotet-en-guide-for-dig-som-ledare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The heart of service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The guest encounter \u2013 the moment a customer, guest or patient actually meets us \u2013 is the core of every service organisation. Yet many workplaces get stuck in endless debates about budgets, poor premises or market conditions \u2013 factors we can\u2019t control. The result? Low energy, fragmented teams and mediocre guest experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Circle of Influence<\/strong> (inner, middle and outer rings) is a simple framework that helps you, as a leader or middle-manager, focus \u2013 and steer the team \u2013 towards what truly makes a difference in the guest encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Inner circle \u2013 What we can influence <strong>directly<\/strong> in every shift<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything here is fully under your team\u2019s real-time control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Example<\/th><th>Leader\u2019s role<\/th><th>Concrete question for the team<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Greeting ritual (tone, eye contact, name)<\/td><td>Model the behaviour, give immediate feedback<\/td><td>\u201cHow do we want the first ten seconds to feel?\u201d<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Shift briefing (goals + energy)<\/td><td>Structure a 5-minute huddle, share yesterday\u2019s lessons<\/td><td>\u201cWhich two focus goals are we measuring today?\u201d<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Handling peak periods<\/td><td>Be present on the floor, remove obstacles<\/td><td>\u201cWho owns reallocating resources when we hit a peak?\u201d<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Leader tip:<\/strong> End every shift with a micro-retrospective (max 3 min). Let the team themselves highlight one thing they could influence directly and how it went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Middle circle \u2013 What we can influence <strong>indirectly<\/strong> over time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is where your leadership really pays off. You don\u2019t decide tomorrow\u2019s result, but you shift the odds week by week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Example<\/th><th>Influence strategy<\/th><th>Key KPI<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Competence &amp; cross-training<\/td><td>Create a training plan, give 15 min \u201cshadow time\u201d per shift<\/td><td>% of staff mastering \u2265 3 stations<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Service culture &amp; values<\/td><td>Tell stories of good examples, celebrate micro-wins openly<\/td><td>NPS \/ likelihood to recommend<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Staffing flexibility<\/td><td>Schedule by competence rather than hours alone<\/td><td>Lead-time to cover absences<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Leader tip:<\/strong> Translate every middle-ring goal into concrete behaviours (\u201cask proactively\u201d rather than \u201cincrease customer confidence\u201d) and follow up at the next team meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Outer circle \u2013 What we <strong>cannot<\/strong> influence (let go quickly!)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Type of factor<\/th><th>Acceptance ritual<\/th><th>Re-focus to\u2026<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Pandemic regulations, interest rates<\/td><td>Inform factually, ask only clarifying questions<\/td><td>\u201cGiven the circumstances, what can we adjust in the inner\/middle circle?\u201d<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Guest expectations before arrival (social-media posts, rumours)<\/td><td>Monitor, avoid defensive stance<\/td><td>Reinforce the promises we can keep on-site<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Corporate price decisions<\/td><td>Communicate openly why<\/td><td>Train on value-based arguments instead<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Leader tip:<\/strong> When the discussion drifts into the outer ring, park it visually: write the point on a whiteboard under \u201cOut of our control\u201d and return immediately to the inner\/middle-ring action list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Workshop: The Circle of Influence in 30 minutes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Draw three circles on an A3 sheet and pin it in the staff room.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Silent brainstorm (5 min): everyone writes post-its with current guest-encounter issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sort together (10 min): place the notes in the right circle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritise two actions in the inner circle and one in the middle ring (10 min).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Appoint owners &amp; deadlines (5 min).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Repeat at every monthly review \u2013 you\u2019ll see notes migrate inward as capability and courage grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why this works<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus is contagious.<\/strong> When you consistently act in the inner\/middle rings, the team follows.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Psychological safety rises.<\/strong> Team members clearly see where their effort makes a difference.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Results accelerate.<\/strong> Small, repeated improvements in the inner circle scale quickly when every shift applies them consistently.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Next time you hear someone say <em>\u201cWell, it\u2019s the market that\u2026\u201d<\/em>, pause and ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cOkay \u2013 but what\u2019s in <strong>our<\/strong> inner circle right now?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll notice the conversation shifts, action happens and the guest encounter lifts \u2013 not <em>despite<\/em> constraints, but <em>because<\/em> you\u2019ve stopped giving them your energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Good luck with your next shift!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\/\/ Oscar<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A guide for you as a leader The heart of service The guest encounter \u2013 the moment a customer, guest or patient actually meets us \u2013 is the core of every service organisation. Yet many workplaces get stuck in endless debates about budgets, poor premises or market conditions \u2013 factors we can\u2019t control. The result? [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"blocksy_meta":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":91,"label":"Blog"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/chatgpt-image-3-juni-2025-18_12_26.png",1024,1024,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Oscar Lindeberg","author_link":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/author\/oscar\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":91,"name":"Blog","slug":"blog","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":91,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":21,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":91,"category_count":21,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Blog","category_nicename":"blog","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139643","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139643"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139643\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/schoolofservice.se\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}