How to Use Leverage to Accelerate Your Career, Business, and Life Goals

How to Use Leverage to Accelerate Your Career, Business, and Life Goals

If you’ve ever wondered why some people seem to achieve massive results with little effort, the answer might be in one word: leverage.

Used correctly, leverage can help you do more with less—faster, smarter, and more sustainably. In this guide, based on the June 29, 2025 edition of ThriVe with Babs, you’ll discover how to apply leverage for career growth, business expansion, and personal success.

What Is Leverage, Really?

Leverage means using the resources you have—or can access—to create disproportionate results.

In simple terms, it’s about identifying what small actions, tools, people, or strategies will move the needle most significantly in your life or business.

As Archimedes famously said: “Give me a place to stand and a lever long enough, and I will move the world.”

Whether you’re looking to grow your career, scale a business, or achieve life goals faster, leverage is your shortcut to success.

6 Types of Leverage That Can Change Your Life

Want to know what forms of leverage high performers use every day? These six categories can help you unlock bigger results with less effort:

1. Time Leverage

Use technology, delegation, and systems to free up your time so you can focus on high-value tasks.

Example: Automate email responses or hire a virtual assistant.

2. Skill Leverage

Put your learned expertise to work or borrow someone else’s skills to get better results faster.

Example: Partner with a skilled designer instead of learning design from scratch.

3. Relationship Leverage

Build and nurture the right relationships to gain access, influence, and opportunities.

Example: Networking can get you into rooms your resume can’t.

4. Tool/Technology Leverage

Use apps, platforms, and AI tools to scale your productivity.

Example: Use project management tools to handle multiple tasks efficiently.

5. Capital Leverage

Use money—yours or others’—to amplify impact or accelerate business growth.

Example: Secure investor funding to scale operations quickly.

6. Knowledge Leverage

Apply proven frameworks and models instead of reinventing the wheel.

Example: Use business templates or expert advice to make smarter decisions.

How to Apply Leverage in Career and Business

Here’s how successful people are using leverage in real-world settings:

 In Your Career:

Mentorship: Skip years of trial and error by learning from someone who’s been there.

Delegation: Let go of low-impact tasks to focus on growth-driving work.

Networking: Most opportunities aren’t advertised—they’re referred.

In Your Business:

Automation & Systems: Build once, benefit forever (think: email funnels, online courses).

Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate to share audiences, ideas, and risk.

Funding: Leverage other people’s money to start or scale your idea.

Questions to Ask When Leveraging Resources

1. Want to apply leverage effectively? Ask yourself these powerful questions:
2. What 20% of tasks are giving me 80% of my results?
3. What can I delegate, automate, or eliminate?
4. Who has already solved this problem, and how can I learn from them?
5. What are the long-term consequences of this decision?
6. Can I build or join a system that runs even when I’m not working?

The Missing Link: Character Before Capital

In a powerful moment during the ThriVe session, a video clip of an interview with Dr. Cosmas Maduka of Cosharis Group was shared where he reminded participants:

“Credibility, integrity, character, and competence must come before cash.”

Why? Because all forms of leverage—especially relationship and capital—are built on trust. Without a solid foundation of reputation and reliability, your leverage won’t last.

Final Thoughts: Use Leverage, Don’t Abuse It

When used wisely, leverage can change the game. It helps you work smarter, not harder, and ensures that your results grow faster than your efforts.

Whether you’re a student, entrepreneur, executive, or creative, you already have access to at least one form of leverage. Start there. Build momentum. Scale with intention.

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Also Read: Engagement and Productivity