Leverage is…
I grew up thinking of leverage as a mechanical or engineering function. If I wanted to move something that was otherwise too heavy, I stuck a crowbar under one end and moved it. I knew it was a lever, but I called it a crowbar. As did everybody else I knew.
Wikipedia defines leverage in the context of finance as a general term for any technique to multiply gains and losses. The textbook definition is having the ability to control a large amount of money using none or very little of your own money and borrowing the rest.
More recently, the Leverage television series helped broaden the image of leverage beyond finance and mechanical levers into its other identities – leverage as the power to accomplish something, or a strategic advantage.
This broader meaning of leverage struck a chord with me.
Forward leaning corporations are leveraging the diversity of their workforce to create and empower an organizational culture that fosters a respectful, inclusive, knowledge-based environment where each employee has the opportunity to learn, grow, and meaningfully contribute to the organization’s success. Not-for-profits are leveraging community assets to increase their effectiveness.
Each of us has assets that, when used strategically, give us positional advantage in a variety of circumstances, as well as increase our effectiveness. A listing of personal assets is potentially endless, because they change with our experiences and associations. We gain them through everyday living, including our jobs. What we may have considered a liability may actually be an asset when we shift our focus.
Randal Pinkett, former Rhodes Scholar and winner of season four of NBC’s The Apprentice leveraged his educational background and appearance on the television show to launch his new book, Black Faces In White Places: 10 Game-Changing Strategies to Achieve Success and Find Greatness. There is no end to the ways in which he can now leverage his authorship to increase his positional advantage as well as his effectiveness.
Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, leveraged her not-so-positive experience of knowingly being under-compensated for her work vis-a-vis others similarly situated to write her highly acclaimed new book, Knowing Your Value. Granted, Mika has other incredible assets that include her high profile status, access to people in high places, and proven ability as an author. However, she had to decide how to handle the issues she faced, and she chose to leverage the experience in a very positive way that not only increased her positional advantage but serve as a beacon to others.
You may not have the same kinds of assets as Dr. Pinkett or Ms. Brzezinski. However, every experience that you’ve had, including paid and unpaid jobs, has added to your repertoire of information and insights. Each time you’ve maneuvered your way through a process, whether or not the outcome was what you had in mind, you learned something from it. This accumulated information, in a usable context, becomes assets that can be leveraged to increase your personal effectiveness and capability to help others.
What you want to do with the rest of your life will determine if and how you decide to leverage your assets.
The challenge to you is to decide what you are going to do about it. Do you know the value of what you do, and what you know, to others? If you work within an organization, are you leveraging the knowledge base of your workforce and customers? Many thought leaders have concluded that this just might be an affordable way to stay ahead of the competition.
