How to spot a High-Agency person, and why we should all try to become one

Dear all,

In today’s final assembly of the Lent Term, we focused on the differences between high and low-agency people.

People with high agency feel a sense of control over their lives: they can decide what they want or need, and then take action to help them achieve their goals. People with low agency often feel things outside their control – such as luck or fate – are shaping their lives. If someone has low agency, they may feel powerless to change the direction of their lives – and powerlessness is a very uncomfortable feeling for most of us.

We suggested to our students that they can work out which of their friends and family are high-agency people by trying the following:

• Imagine you find yourself in prison in a remote and less advanced country. Which of your friends or family would you call to help you? They are probably the highest-agency person you know.
• Which of your friends doesn’t match the stereotype others may think they fall into? The talented footballer who reads poetry; the chess player who is also a great dancer; or the reality TV addict who studies Philosophy. People whose opinions you can’t work out from their outward appearance or interests are likely to be high-agency.
• And finally, which of your friends have the most unusual hobbies? One of the most powerful influences on teenage activity is the peer group. In other words, most teenagers like what their friends like. The person you know who has a hobby that none of your other friends have is likely to be a high-agency person.

In a competitive and ever-changing world, high agency is one of the biggest factors in determining how successful we are in life. It makes us more likely to overcome obstacles or setbacks, it aids creativity, and above all, we’re much more likely to achieve our goals if we are high-agency people. The diagram below plots high-low agency alongside high-low talent, and makes the point that no matter how much of the latter we have, if we don’t develop high-agency we’re unlikely to make the most of it. On the other hand, even people who have low-talent can be successful if they have high-agency, and some of them can use it to develop into Game Changers: people who really make a difference.

Those in the Upper Sixth or Year 11 will shortly be taking their final exams, whilst those in every other year group will have their end-of-year exams next term. A high-agency mindset is something anyone can develop, and by doing so our students are much more likely to get better results in exams, as well as having a more positive outlook on everything they do.

Have a great Easter.

Best wishes

Michael Bond