Hey :)
In the last post in this series, I was thinking out loud about leverage over time — how, as your career progresses, doing good work becomes less about hours and more about what you choose to spend those hours on.
There’s another part of this that feels just as important.
It’s not only about control over your time.
It’s also about the quality and value of the work you choose to do.
And those two things are more connected than people realise.
Moving closer to decisions
One of the patterns I keep noticing is this.
As you move away from day-to-day, tactical work and closer to strategy and decision-making, a few things change at the same time.
Your work becomes harder to replace.
Your impact lasts longer.
You’re trusted more.
You’re given more space.
It’s a spectrum.
On one end, your work is reactive and short-lived. Valuable today, forgotten tomorrow.
On the other end, your work shapes direction. It influences what happens next month, next year, sometimes longer.
On the other end, your work shapes direction. It influences what happens next month, next year, sometimes longer.
What’s interesting is that the shift isn’t always about job title. It’s about where your attention sits.
From low leverage to high leverage work
When I look back over my own career, the work that increased my leverage wasn’t the work where I was busy. It was the work where I was thinking.
Work that:
- clarified direction
- simplified complexity
- prevented mistakes
- made other work easier or unnecessary
That’s the kind of work that tends to sit closer to leadership and strategy, even if it doesn’t look like “strategy” on paper.
And over time, people notice.
Not because you’re loud about it, but because things start working better.
Saying yes as a strategic decision
This has made me much more careful about what I say yes to.
Every project has a cost, even if it sounds interesting.
When I’m deciding whether to say yes to something now, one of the questions I intentionally ask myself is:
Will I be a different person on the other side of this?
Not more impressive.
Not busier.
Different.
Not busier.
Different.
More capable.
Clearer.
Better equipped for the next thing.
Will I grow?
Clearer.
Better equipped for the next thing.
Will I grow?
In 2019, when I said yes to partnering with Marcus Sheridan and working with the agency, I knew it would stretch me. The pace, the exposure, the expectations — all of it was going to be a step change.
That made the decision easier. I wasn’t just saying yes to the work. I was saying yes to who I’d have to become to do it well.
The 80/20 shift
Another way I think about this is through an 80/20 lens.
In most organisations, a huge amount of effort goes into work that drives relatively little impact. That’s not a criticism — it’s just how complex systems tend to operate.
The interesting question is:
What’s the small amount of work that creates a disproportionate amount of value?
And more specifically:
What’s the work that only you can do?
Over time, that answer should change.
Work that once required your full attention should eventually be documented, delegated, or designed out altogether — freeing you up to focus on the next layer of problems.
That’s how leverage compounds.
(And the quicker you can move through these cycles, the more impact and value you can create through your work)
Future-oriented work buys you space
One last observation.
The closer your work is to the future — planning, direction, decision-making — the less people tend to hover over it.
Deadlines still matter, but trust becomes the currency instead of urgency.
When people see that your work consistently improves outcomes, they give you room. And that room is often what allows you to do your best work.
I don’t think this is about chasing seniority or escaping execution altogether (I haven't received a 'promotion' in 15 years).
It’s about being intentional about where you sit on that spectrum over time.
In the next post, I want to think out loud about what it actually takes, day to day, to protect that kind of work — especially when distractions, requests, and good opportunities keep showing up.
That feels like the next piece of the puzzle.
🗣️ 👀
Chris.
Chris.