A Conversation About Mindset

HIGH AGENCY

Be the person who makes things happen.

01 / 21

The Question

What separates people who make things happen from those who watch things happen?

It's not talent. It's not luck. It's not connections.
It's an attitude. And it can be learned.

02 / 21

Definition

What is High Agency?

"High Agency is about finding a way to get what you want, without waiting for conditions to be perfect or otherwise blaming the circumstances."

High Agency people either push through in the face of adverse conditions or manage to reverse the adverse conditions to achieve their goals.

03 / 21

The Litmus Test

"When you're told that something is impossible, is that the end of the conversation, or does that start a second dialogue in your mind?"

— Eric Weinstein

Eric Weinstein popularized the term "High Agency" to describe people who refuse to accept the default reality. For them, "no" is just the starting point of a more creative conversation.

04 / 21

The Ultimate Filter

A Cheat Code for Life

"When you put a high agency person in a bad situation, they find a way to turn it around. When you put a low agency person in a good situation, they find a way to squander it."

— George Mack

High Agency isn't about your starting hand. It's about how you play the cards you're dealt.

05 / 21

The Framework

Agency × Talent Matrix

Low Agency
High Agency
High Talent

Frustrated Genius

Brilliant but blames the system. Might have a success or two, but ultimately capitulates.

Game Changer

Rare, expensive, transformative. The people who bend reality and move the needle.

Low Talent

Passenger

Low impact, low drive. Goes with the flow.

Go Getter

Makes up for gaps with sheer agency. Often becomes a Game Changer over time.

When hiring: always prefer Go Getters over Frustrated Geniuses.

06 / 21

Why It Matters

Game Changers Are Built, Not Born

Game Changers aren't common. But here's the good news: Go Getters become Game Changers through agency.

Talent is distributed. Agency is a choice. The multiplier is: Impact = Talent × Agency. You can grow both.

The takeaway

You don't need to be the smartest person in the room. You need to be the one who finds a way.

07 / 21

In Practice

Bob vs. Alice

Low Agency Bob

×"That's not my department's problem"
×"We don't have the budget for that"
×"Engineering won't build it"
×"Legal will never approve this"
×"The data doesn't exist"

High Agency Alice

✓"Let me find who can help us solve this"
✓"What's the cheapest way to test this?"
✓"Let me show them a prototype first"
✓"I'll draft a proposal addressing their concerns"
✓"Let me find a proxy metric we can use"
08 / 21

Self-Awareness

The Language Shift

Your language reveals your agency. Every word is a choice between surrender and action.

Reactive Language

"There's nothing I can do"

"That's just the way I am"

"They won't let me"

"I have to do this"

"I can't"

"If only..."

Proactive Language

"Let me look at my alternatives"

"I can choose a different approach"

"I'll find a creative solution"

"I choose to do this"

"I will find a way"

"Next time, I will..."

Adapted from Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"

09 / 21

The Covey Model

Focus on What You Can Control

Low Agency people spend energy on their Circle of Concern — politics, the economy, other people's opinions. Things they can't change.

High Agency people invest energy in their Circle of Influence — their skills, their work, their relationships. Things they can shape.

The paradox

The more you focus on what you can control, the more your circle of influence expands.

10 / 21

The Blueprint

Building High Agency

High Agency can be decomposed into 6 learnable components — 3 internal mindsets and 3 external behaviors.

3 Mindsets

How you think

Ownership

Resilience

Ego Detachment

3 Behaviors

How you act

Bias for Action

Creative Problem-Solving

Influence Without Authority

11 / 21

Mindset 1

Ownership

The foundation of all agency. Ownership means you own the outcome, not just your task list. Everything downstream flows from this.

  • 01You see problems as your problems, even when they technically aren't
  • 02You don't say "someone should fix this" — you become that someone
  • 03You treat every project as if your name is on it
  • 04You measure yourself by results, not effort
12 / 21

Mindset 2

Resilience

Setbacks are data, not verdicts. High Agency people bounce back faster each time because they treat failure as a teacher, not a judge.

  • 01Separate your identity from the outcome — you are not your last failure
  • 02After every setback, ask: "What did I learn? What will I do differently?"
  • 03The obstacle is the way — adversity builds the muscle
  • 04Stamina matters more than speed. Stay in the game long enough to win
13 / 21

Mindset 3

Ego Detachment

Most people don't lose agency because they lack talent. They lose it because they got negative feedback once — and took it personally. The sting made them play it safe forever after.

  • 01Feedback is about the work, not about you — separate the signal from the sting
  • 02A rejected idea is a data point, not a verdict on your worth
  • 03Seek feedback early and often — make it routine, not emotional
  • 04The more you expose yourself, the less any single "no" can hurt you

"It's not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the one who is actually in the arena." — Theodore Roosevelt

14 / 21

Behavior 1

Bias for Action

The antidote to analysis paralysis. Default to doing, not debating.

  • 01Ship the v1, learn from it, iterate. Progress over perfection
  • 02A 70% plan executed today beats a 100% plan next month
  • 03Run small experiments instead of requesting big approvals
  • 04Ask forgiveness, not permission — when the stakes are low

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

15 / 21

Behavior 2

Creative Problem-Solving

Two moves in one: reframe the problem until it's solvable, then Jugaad your way to a solution. Can't go through the wall? Ask why the wall exists — then build a door from scraps.

Stuck thinking

"We can't afford a designer"

Reframe + Jugaad

"What tool makes us look like we have one? Ship it tonight."

→No budget? Build a prototype yourself
→No data? Find a proxy signal
→No team? Rally volunteers around a demo
16 / 21

Behavior 3

Influence Without Authority

Most of the time, you won't have positional power. High Agency people don't need it — they move people through influence, not org charts.

  • 01Show, don't tell — a working demo persuades faster than a slide deck
  • 02Speak their language — frame your idea in terms of what the other person cares about
  • 03Build coalitions — find allies across teams before the big meeting
  • 04Create momentum — people join movements, not proposals. Start small, show wins, attract followers

You don't need a title to lead. You need a result that makes people want to follow.

17 / 21

High Agency in the Wild

Recognizing the Pattern

The Founder

Gets told "this market is too small." Reframes the market definition, finds an adjacent billion-dollar opportunity, and builds for that.

The Engineer

Can't get approval for a new tool. Builds a weekend prototype. Ships it internally. Usage grows organically. Gets retroactive approval.

The Manager

Team is understaffed. Instead of complaining, restructures priorities, automates low-value work, and over-delivers with half the team.

The New Hire

Notices a broken process on day 3. Instead of waiting to "earn the right," documents the issue, proposes a fix, and volunteers to implement it.

The PM

Stakeholders can't agree on priority. Instead of escalating, runs a quick customer test, brings back data, and lets the evidence decide.

The Intern

Given a boring task. Automates it in 2 hours, then asks for more challenging work. Turns a throwaway internship into a full-time offer.

18 / 21

Non-Negotiable

Never Compromise on Integrity

High Agency without integrity is dangerous. Agency is a power tool — it amplifies whatever character sits behind it.

🛡

High Agency
+ Integrity

= Trust & Impact

⚠

High Agency
− Integrity

= Manipulation

19 / 21

Starting Today

Your High Agency Challenge

This Week

Catch yourself using reactive language 5 times. Reframe each one on the spot.

This Month

Pick one stuck project. Apply Jugaad — find a scrappy path forward. Ship something.

This Quarter

Own an outcome that isn't in your job description. Expand your Circle of Influence.

Always

When you see a problem, ask: "What would High Agency Alice do?" Then do that.

High Agency isn't inscrutable magic. You can learn it.
And it will be profoundly rewarding — for you and everyone around you.

20 / 21

Find a Way.
Make it Happen.

The world needs more people who refuse to accept the default.

Inspired by the work of

Shreyas Doshi · Eric Weinstein · George Mack · Stephen Covey · Theodore Roosevelt

21 / 21
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