Leverage

Last Monday I underwent a surgical procedure on my right shoulder. Nothing extra ordinary, just the repair of a four-year-old injury that was deteriorating by the day. The procedure went well and now the rest and rehab parts begin. This is where the theme of the term leverage comes in.

The word leverage has two basic meanings. The first one involves an engineering definition that applies here. It’s the use of a lever or torque to generate added force. As a right handed person, surgery on my right shoulder has muted my ability to use my dominant side (my right arm will be in a sling for 3-4 weeks).

Over the past few days, I’ve learned a lot about the concept of leverage in my day to day life. Having limited mobility and strength on my right side due to the surgery, easy daily activities that my right hand used to handle have been far more difficult, if doable at all. Here are some examples…..

At 56 years old, this past week I had to learn how to shave left handed for the first time.

Have you ever tried to open a kid proof bottle of ibuprofen with one hand? Leverage is needed to execute this one for sure.

Brushing teeth with your off hand doesn’t seem too hard, right? It is a bit challenging in reality.

Showering with only one hand to wash and (more difficult) to dry has proven challenging without my dominant hand.

There are numerous examples here, all of which revolve around not having enough power and control in one hand/arm to exert leverage to execute a task. (Go ahead and try to open a pill bottle with your off hand by itself. Seriously, try it. Not a very easy task the first few times).

The other definition of leverage is most often used in the sports and business industries. This meaning of the term is to utilize an advantageous position to gain an even greater result than previously anticipated (or negotiated).

Your starting point guard is out for the year and the backup plays great in his/her absence. The backup’s contract is up at year end. The backup has some leverage.

You get a job offer from a competitor. You have leverage with your current company.

An ascending college football program loses its all-world quarterback in the draft and you are the best available option on the market (leverage NIL style).

Whether or not one would choose to pull these “levers” is up to the individual. It is our experience that using leverage is usually a function of that person’s situation at that time, good or bad.

Let’s use this week’s Huddle Up to talk about leverage in a positive sense. Three thoughts here…..

First, if you have a weakness and can’t get to where you want to be, ask for help. In this instance you have NO leverage to get to the end goal (like opening the pill bottle). Allow others to plug in and invest on your success.

Second, if you have an existing partnership where no real leverage exists, the best way to grow that relationship is to build upon your current success to add the cherry on top. Talk to your partners about what their “home run” idea is and see if you can get there together. No leverage required.

Third, if you have all the aces in your hand, and truly control the narrative in a particular situation, you have the leverage. Now, do you want to hammer on that advantage and use it for your own gain? Or could you lean on that advantage to garner a better outcome for you AND your stakeholders that is fair to all parties? I’d suggest that when this situation comes along, you take the latter path. You never know when the shoe may be on the other foot, so when you have leverage, use it wisely.

In our experience, those that use leverage in the right way sustain success over time.

When you have leverage, think win-win over you win and they lose. If and when you have to use the leverage hammer, it will be apparent that there is no other alternative. Until then, use the power position to build relationship bridges and play the long game. The other side knows when you have the upper hand and don’t take full advantage.