Leverage: Esteem as a Fulcrum
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world” said Archimedes of Ancient Greece. Maybe. A Greek titan of knowledge may have been taken out of context through centuries of telephone & translations. Not to mention the reliability of records. Nevertheless, the idea that Archimedes might have been trying to convey with his explanation of leverage is that it is very powerful given enough focused application.
What does that mean in the context of applying leverage in your management life?
It’s a golden reminder that leverage is a really important tool if you focus on the strength of your lever and a proper fulcrum. Lever attributes could be defined as skills, experience, or the will to endure a host of stressful situations. The fulcrum, then, is all about confidence or self esteem to deploy the tipping of the scales.
Leverage is about having the confidence to entertain optionality. It allows you the conviction to walk away from unpleasant situations because of attractive alternatives. How do you create leverage? Skill building? Yes. On the job experience? Of course. Challenging, unpleasant situations? That too.
Ultimately, the key to reaching the level of “expert” in deployment requires an unquantifiable esteem threshold to tip the scales in your favor. It’s really about your own confidence level. In order to apply leverage, put your necessary coins in the slot in order to assuredly go forward in defending your position(s).
A few common examples stand out:
- Promotions & Compensation Increases: are you nervous about an upcoming yearly conversation? Do you have the record over the past 3/6/9/12 months in order to advocate for a proper raise? Tip the scales with concrete examples that demonstrate the value you’ve provided and the ongoing value you’ll continue to deliver for your company
- Working Remotely: this conversation in 2018 was entirely a different conversation than it is in 2020. The menu of tech companies that are moving to remote work are exploding and therefore your optionality is rapidly multiplying as companies race to cut costs. Deploy as desired
- Side Projects / Job Searches: if you’re looking to change careers or explore a broader aperture of opportunities, why not start now to increase your chances of making that switch at a later point in time? Multiple income streams or disparate skills allow you the confidence to ask for more generous opportunities…or just walk away
Leverage is about knowing when to hold ’em, knowing when to fold ’em, and knowing when to walk away…on your own terms. So said Kenny Rogers, mostly. That we’re confident in! Apply specific pressure when you want, if you want, when you’re ready. Optionality FTW.