The Agency Gap
- Tom Marino
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
THE SIMPLE NEWSLETTER - ISSUE # 057
Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs do not come from something new we learn, but from something we finally see clearly. This week Adam and I had one of those moments. It changed how we understand the real work we do with the people we serve.
TOM'S THOUGHTS:
Adam and I had one of those moments that stops you in your tracks. The kind that makes you re-examine your own work.
We have said that what we give people is agency and certainty.
What we realized is this.
In the beginning of our work, we are not giving people agency.
We are giving them certainty only.
Certainty about why they are making decisions they are.
Certainty about what they value.
Certainty about who they want to be.
Certainty about the business and life they actually want.
And that kind of certainty is powerful. Most people never get it.
Because certainty alone does not move your life forward.
That is where agency comes in.
TOM'S LESSON:
Agency is not knowing what to do.
Agency is the permission, power, and capacity to take action.
We have seen this play out over and over again.
Some people gain clarity and certainty and then freeze.
Not because they do not know how to execute.
But because they do not yet feel allowed, capable, or ready to act.
They may think:
“I do not have enough experience yet.”
“I need buy-in from someone else.”
“I am not the kind of person who gets to do that.”
“I will take action once I feel more confident.”
That is not a strategy problem.
That is an agency gap.
Agency is what allows belief to turn into behavior.
Without it, nothing changes, no matter how clear you are.
Then there is the other side.
Some people leave that first phase with such a high level of agency that things accelerate immediately.
They do not need step-by-step instructions.
They need perspective, judgment, and a sounding board.
Same clarity.
Very different capacity to act.
That is why agency matters.
Because results do not come from certainty in outcomes.
They come from certainty in why you are acting and the agency to follow through.
If you are clear on what you want but feel stuck, the question is not what should I do next.
The real question is this.
Where have I not yet given myself permission or the power to act?
CLOSING THOUGHTS
This distinction between certainty and agency changed how we see our clients and how we see ourselves.
Clarity without agency leads to frustration, while agency without clarity leads to chaos.
When the two come together, progress becomes inevitable.
-Tom
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