Getting things to go your way in the workplace is not always easy. You have to use all of the tools in your arsenal to convince others that what you want is best for a project, your team, the company or yourself. Sometimes that tool is charm. Sometimes it’s humor. Sometimes you have to drop brain on people and wow them with your expert knowledge. Sometimes you have to be political and give so you can take later. It’s all a game of Survivor, unfortunately. At times, you just have to know when to use leverage.
Lesson 2: Use Your Leverage
Leverage is kind of like a 401k plan; after years of steady contributions, you end up with a sizable pile of cash ready for your retirement. If you unwisely manage your 401k or make early withdrawals, you are penalized in the form of losses or taxes. When you first start a new job, your value to the company is minimal. Over time you earn the respect and trust of your peers and superiors. You become an expert in your domain and your value to the business increases. You, my friend, have leverage.
Playing your leverage is like the Kenny Rogers’ song… “you got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.” The biggest mistake you can make is thinking you have leverage when you don’t. Determining if you have real leverage takes a good amount of introspection and honesty. You must fully understand your place in the world and what the world would be like without you to assess your value to an organization. Be objective, put yourself in your boss’ position and properly appraise the value of your leverage. Ego can cloud your judgement and artificially inflate the actual trade-in value. Evaluate your skills against your teammates. Do you fill gaps that no one else can? Do you have knowledge that others do not? If you disappeared tomorrow, how difficult would it be for your team to function? Think about these things to help quantify the amount of leverage on your side. Do you have enough to negotiate a 10% pay increase? Or is it just barely enough to wrangle an extra PTO day.
Once you’ve determined how much leverage you have, figure out what you want to achieve by using it. In my case, I wanted to move back to Orlando and telecommute. After five hard years in Sarasota, I was tired of driving back-and-forth every other weekend. I wanted to pick my daughter up from school on weekdays, attend her school functions and be at her side at the drop of a hat. I wanted to spend nights with my girlfriend and visit my parents whenever I wished.
So I patiently waited for the perfect opportunity to reveal itself. Back in September, I was offered a promotion to become a Vice President of the company. I don’t care much for titles, so I knew this was the moment to seize. I decided to forego the offer and broker a deal to move back to Orlando. Identifying a time to use leverage is another important consideration. The amount of leverage necessary is sometimes converse to the situation at hand. More recently the company was put in a dire position by the economy and the departure of key personnel. This was another perfect opportunity to use leverage to get what I personally wanted as well as some things on behalf of my team.
When you’re ready to cash in, you have to be confident about what you’re wanting. You have to be so confident that you’re willing to walk away from the table and leave it all behind. In the first case, I was going to move back to Orlando whether I was still employed or not. I knew I had enough leverage in this situation and the company would comply or watch someone with domain expertise and intimate business knowledge walk away. Did I think I was irreplaceable? Absolutely not. But I understood the hardships the company would experience in my immediate absence. The company agreed and I got what I wanted.
Could I have asked for this sooner? Did I spend a year of my life unnecessarily in Sarasota because I was afraid of rejection? Looking back, I think so and that’s why I consider this a lesson learned. Don’t be afraid to use leverage to get what you want in life. Be realistic, honest and reasonable and throw it out on the table. Sometimes you have to be patient and let the opportunity come to you, but when you identify your moment don’t be afraid to pounce.
