Leveraging Leverage

There is so much I want to read and learn. The more I learn about how the brain works, for ex., the more I see how to potently help our clients rethink how to deliver information to key audiences. By deepening our skills to discover what inspires or drives others, the more effective we become.  If I were to distill down what we do best,  it’s leverage – leveraging a dollar, a person, an idea, an opportunity.  Imagine if I could increase my reading speed dramatically…

When I learned about the 5 hour Iris Speed Reading class from Groupon which I found on Twitter… I signed up immediately and was part of a leverage chain.

Iris leveraged Goupon to get me (and 30 others Gouponions) to cover Iris’ costs of introducing their Chicago-based service to Washington DC. I leaned the power of exercising my eye muscles and why fast readers use their fingers to maintain focus and avoid regressing.  I learned a lot.  I’m already leveraging my time, 12 hours later; my recall (which follows comprehension) improved dramatically, and my speed is up about 60%.

Now, it’s up to me – disciplined exercise is the key. If I were Iris, I’d program in follow-up communications and tools to increase progress.  The more I progress, the greater the chance I’ll become a raving fan. I’d pay for that.
In our business, when clients engage us over time, our ability to impact them goes up exponentially. Where there is a platform to build on, the questions becomes how we leverage that, AND will we leverage that? 
We formed BaltimoreACTS to leverage a foundation pledge to Haiti, magnifying impact there and here in our own community. We created a website to provide multiple opportunities for folks to join in ways meaningful or, for others, useful for them.  The website invites folks to join an email list, to donate, to volunteer, or post great work Baltimoreans are doing for HAITI on the Facebook page or on Twitter. In this case, we’ve created an organic model designed to build on itself.

While life is short, we want to make the most of it while we’re here. What can YOU leverage this week.  I’d love to hear about your power and impact.