"When someone tells you that they want to 'leverage' you, it usually means that you are being used to produce a result." -Opinion shared with a sales colleague.
"Leverage" is an overused corporate euphemism. I have used it in business plans, quarterly business reviews, executive approvals, emails, presentation and conversations. Sometimes my plans worked. Sometime they didn't.
I have been "leveraged." Sometimes the results met expectations. Sometimes they did not.
So what distinguishes successful from unsuccessful leverage? Intent and gratitude.
I have attended meetings where I accepted action items, and when I left, I felt like I agreed to do a classmate's homework.
I have also taken "hero-pulls" at the front of cycling packs and swim lanes where I have expended 20% more energy than those in the draft. On good days, I can maintain this until the end of the ride or set. On the other days I fall off the pace and limp home or hang on the wall. But I rarely regret these because each effort is followed by a lactic-acid infused "thank you."
We are hosting a 10-person Thanksgiving dinner in our 860 square-foot home with a kitchen that dates to the Eisenhower administration. All that my wing-woman (wife) and I have to worry about is the turkey, stuffing and wine (twist my arm.) Why? We are leveraging the culinary strengths of our guests. I think that they will leave smiling, and not just from the tryptophan. Hopefully their experience will mirror that of a successful project planning meeting, where each person gets to contribute his/her strengths, and everyone leaves with leftovers.
Thursday morning I will leverage my swimming lane. 50 x 100 is too many yards to swim without a rotating draft (and Gatorade...RockStar for longer sets). One of my favorite parts of this tradition is that each person leads 5 x 100 and then drops to the back of the lane. As each swimmer passes the former leader at the wall, he/she shares a short-breathed "thanks!"
This reminds me that I leveraged the draft of three of my teammates during this morning's set. Honestly, I was just trying to stay in the same time zone, but I think I forgot to say "thank you." Thanks. -HammerHead
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1 comment:
Great Blog,,,I must say,,,,
But the point is,,,can you distinguish the frame of mind you are in in two situations???
One,,,whn you know that are leveraging(fow what ever reasons) some one and then when you are being "leveraged". I am taking both in the context of the openion you shared with your sales colleague (which is true for 99% of the time).
How would you handle the two situations???
MOHAN,,,
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