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I first heard the phrase high agency in a podcast interview with George Mack. Within minutes, I realized this one idea explained a lot about why some people break through...and others stay stuck. If you’ve ever taken action without permission or worked around a clunky system, chances are, you were operating with high agency (and are standing out at work).
Tip of the Week: Developing High Agency is the fastest way to level up. Don’t ask for permission, build it yourself.
THE THEORY
High agency is the mindset that systems are bendable. George Mack defines it with a cool metaphor: "Imagine you’re in jail in a foreign country and you get one phone call. Who do you call to get you out? That person is high agency. They’re resourceful, persuasive, and get things done (even when the rules aren’t on their side)."
Constraints are creativity fuel. On highagency.com, Mack writes that high-agency thinkers don’t wait for perfect conditions. They ship with version 1.0, work around blockers, and build smarter paths through broken systems. They don’t just “do their job,” they redesign it when needed. To spot where you might be stuck to truly consider yourself "high agency", ask: “What am I accepting as fixed that I could actually change?”
High agency upgrades growth mindset and ownership. Growth mindset says "I can improve." Ownership says "I’m responsible for outcomes." High agency says "I’ll make it happen, even when the process resists me." When all three are working together, you are standing in front a change agent.
MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS
High agency is how the most effective people find "the work that matters." In my experience, the biggest wins don’t come from checking boxes. They come from noticing what’s broken or missing and doing something about it (even when no one asked). That’s where high agency shows up. It turns ambiguous problems into bold action. It takes ideas that “aren’t in scope” and makes them your next deliverable. And most importantly, it helps you shift from doing the expected to creating real impact. I talk about this concept for about 5 minutes in this interview, starting minute 22:55.
How to spot a high agency person? George Mack created this list. What stood out to me is that these people usually had weird hobbies growing up (meaning that they don't care about social norms), you can't ever guess their opinion, or they have moved from their home town or country (I can definitely relate to how that builds high agency!).
HOW TO PUT THIS INTO PRACTICE
Make high agency a priority by including these as part of your weekly review:
Ask the High Agency Question: “What am I accepting as fixed that I could actually change?” Pick one and take action on it.
Spot Low Agency Thinking: "Where did I default to “I can’t” or “not my role”?" Write it down. Then rewrite it with a high-agency mindset.
Take One Step Without Permission: Propose, fix, test, or build (without waiting for someone to ask).
Design Better, Not Just Faster: If a process feels broken, redesign it. Don’t just push through, elevate it.
Surround Yourself with High Agency Energy: List people who you think have high agency and plan to hang out more with them. Agency is contagious.
Rules were made for revising. So go ahead... revise something this week.
Boldly,
Jorge Luis Pando
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