I think a lot of what I am optimizing for nowadays is encapsulated by the idea of leverage. Mechanistically, leverage is the exertion of force by means of a lever or an object used in the manner of a lever. Applied to my life, I see leverage as a means to use x amount of rare resources (say, time) to accomplish y amount of things.
People with high amounts of leverage can do a lot with a little, mainly because they have tons of unfair advantages. They have deep networks. They have unique skills. They can move much more quickly than competition.
These little advantages bring orders of magnitude differences in efficiency and scalability.
You probably know “highly levered people.” CEOs, VCs, etc. tend to be much more highly levered than an average person. If they have an idea, they are more likely to make it happen, in less time, and with less likelihood of failing.
You get leverage by attaining power, resources, or things that enable you to exert your influence.
So why care about that?
People with high leverage can also do a lot better job of exerting their particular world view on the earth. They are closer to being able to impact what they care about or what they see as important.
I also think that leverage sits on a scale. Some people have little to no leverage, they only control themselves and their actions are not that impactful. As you rise in the “leverage ranks,” you acquire more influence.
I think it is a positive sum game, your leverage does not rely on others leverage falling.
But it is something to be cognizant of as you approach problems and decisions in the future -> leverage = power.
Also published on Medium.