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Article Summary
In this opinion essay, Jason Hauer argues that the real constraint in the Intelligence Age is not technology but belief. The agency problem, he writes, is the gap between what is now possible and what people allow themselves to pursue. Leaders who act compound advantage; those who wait fall exponentially behind.
Brian Tracy taught me internal locus of control in my twenties.
His frame was simple: draw a circle and put everything in your life either inside it (you control it) or outside it (you don’t).
High performers put everything inside. Not because they’re delusional about obstacles, but because they treat every obstacle as a skill issue. I can learn that, figure that out. I haven’t solved it yet, but I will. This mindset can sometimes relate to the agency problem, where incentives and motivation to overcome challenges may be misaligned.
Internal Locus of Control and High-Performance Leadership
I built my first company on that belief. No one was coming to tell me how. No one was coming to give me permission. I figured it out, made mistakes, figured it out again. Sold it. Started building my holding company the same way. That mindset used to be a differentiator. Now it’s a survival requirement.
The Intelligence Age Has Collapsed the Gap Between Idea and Execution
Here’s what’s changed: you can learn anything, right now, this afternoon. Not eventually, not after years of preparation. You can tap into world-class expertise to help you solve problems, prototype ideas the same day you have them, find resources and partners and paths forward that would have taken months to discover. The tools that cost millions five years ago cost twenty dollars. The barriers that took years to overcome take weeks. The gap between idea and execution has collapsed.
AI Transformation Is Expanding What’s Possible
Most people haven’t internalized what this means. They’re using AI for faster email and better summaries. They’re using a jet engine to power a bicycle. The real shift isn’t productivity. It’s possibility. What you can create, what problems you can solve, what you can become. All of it has expanded beyond what most people let themselves imagine.
Learned Helplessness Is the Real Agency Problem
So why aren’t more people acting on it? Same reason they never have. They’re waiting. Waiting to be ready, waiting for permission, waiting for certainty, waiting for someone to tell them it’s safe. Tracy called the enemy by its name: learned helplessness. The belief that you’re not in control, so why try.
I see it everywhere. Smart people with good intentions, but everything sits outside the circle. AI transformation is “waiting on IT.” Learning is “when I have more time.” Building is “when conditions are right.” The conditions are right. The conditions have never been more right.
The Exponential Gap Between Builders and Watchers
The ceiling has been removed entirely. And still they wait. This is the agency problem. Not a technology problem. A belief problem. The gap between what’s possible and what people let themselves do.
The old model was linear: learn, then prepare, then act. That model is dead. Now the reps are the learning. You don’t wait to be ready, become ready by starting. You learn by building, get better by doing it wrong and then doing it less wrong. Every day you wait is a compounding cycle you don’t get back.
The leader who starts today learns something tomorrow, builds on it next week, sees patterns next month that everyone else misses. The leader who waits is still waiting. That gap isn’t linear. It’s exponential. And it’s opening now.
Leadership in the Intelligence Age
You have access to the most powerful tools in human history. You can learn anything, build anything, become almost anything you’re willing to work for. It costs nearly nothing and it’s available right now. The only question is whether you believe it’s yours to figure out.
I can learn that, figure that out. I haven’t solved it yet, but I will.
That’s the whole thing. That belief. That’s what separates the people who build from the people who watch. The ceiling is gone. Now what?
FAQs
What is the agency problem in leadership?
The agency problem refers to the gap between what is possible and what individuals believe they are capable of doing. In this context, it is not about access to technology but about mindset. Leaders who assume responsibility and act tend to compound advantage over time.
How does internal locus of control relate to business success?
Internal locus of control is the belief that outcomes are largely shaped by your own actions rather than external forces. In business, leaders with this mindset treat obstacles as skills to acquire or problems to solve, rather than barriers that stop progress.
Why is the Intelligence Age different from previous eras?
The Intelligence Age dramatically reduces the time and cost required to learn, build, and execute ideas. AI tools and digital platforms have collapsed the gap between idea and implementation, creating exponential opportunity for those who act.
How does hesitation impact leadership growth?
In an environment where tools and learning compound quickly, delay creates widening gaps. Leaders who begin today gain insight and momentum faster than those who wait for certainty or permission.
Is the agency problem a technology issue?
No. The agency problem is primarily a belief issue. While technology expands what is possible, the decision to act remains a personal and leadership choice.
