Person. Object. Lever. Fulcrum.
iLeadership is Leverage
I frequently deploy one of Archimedes’ mechanical inventions as a metaphor to illustrate the power of iLeadership—the kind of leverage that gets mighty things done (for our betterment).
His idea, captured in the infographic above, establishes that:
- A person can move a seemingly immoveable object with a long enough beam if mounted on a fulcrum—which turns it into a lever.
This week’s On Leadership edition unpacks the metaphor so that we can appreciate each of the four elements in Archimedes’ construct.
Before we do that, however, let us consider the contributions Archimedes made to mathematics and practical innovations.
The Great Archimedes
Archimedes (c. 287-212/211 BCE) was not just a mathematician, but a systems thinker whose insights still shape science and engineering today:
In Mathematics
- Calculated p (pi) with remarkable accuracy using polygons, laying the foundation for later refinements.
- Discovered formulae for the surface area and volume of spheres, cylinders and other solids—results so elegant he asked for a sphere-and-cylinder diagram on his tomb.
- Advanced geometry and infinitesimals, predicting ideas of calculus centuries before Newton and Leibniz.
In Physics and Mechanics
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- Archimedes’ Principle: Explained buoyancy—why objects float or sink—by showing that a body in fluid experiences an upward force equal to the displaced fluid’s weight.
- Founded the sciences of mechanics and hydrostatics, creating the groundwork for modern physics.
In Engineering and Inventions
- Archimedes’ Screw: A device to lift water, still used in irrigation and pumping systems today.
- Compound pulleys: Systems that allowed a single person to move enormous weights.
- Military machines: Designed defensive devices like the ‘Claw of Archimedes’ to protect Syracuse from naval attack.
| In Leadership
Archimedes shows that practical ingenuity leverages effort. He did not just push harder—he designed smarter systems. That is the essence of PRACTICING iLeadership:
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Archimedes’ Four iLeadership Elements
Person. Object (Leadership Moment). (Beam) / Lever. Fulcrum = Leverage
There is a substantive story to tell around each of the four elements, but for brevity, here is a summary:
- The person brings intent and agency to do something, to achieve something, to engage with a Leadership Moment. The person becomes an Influential Leader when they are conscious of a Leadership Moment, pick up the beam, turn it into a lever, then shift the event, condition or circumstance (for the better)!
- The object gives purpose—something worth moving, doing, achieving—it is the object in the Leadership Moment—the event, condition or circumstance that iLeadership will shift and shape. The earth symbolises something big, extraordinary, beyond what seems possible.
- The lever is what a beam, an ordinary static object becomes when it is transformed into an enabling tool—a lever—when combined with a fulcrum. It is the way in which the person uses something ordinary to extend their power (leverage).
The beam becomes a lever when we apply our self-efficacy and Social Agency to it at a Leadership Moment. A person who decides to practice iLeadership transforms from a bystander (the inert beam) into a dynamic lever!
- The fulcrum is the platform that ensures stability and grounding to help transform the inert beam into a dynamic lever and offers the person leverage (power beyond the ordinary).
| In the iLeadership context, the fulcrum is the Influential Leadership System architecture—it is the firm and replicable base on which, and from which, a person leverages the inert beam into a dynamic lever.
When aligned, these four elements create a system where small, well-placed actions produce outsized change. iLeadership, like leverage, is not about brute force but about design, choice, positioning and alignment – it is about influencing and shaping things (for the better). |
Equipped with a Lever, We Shift Our World
A beam without a fulcrum is an inert ‘thing’—just wood. But with consciousness and a knowledge of leverage, it becomes a lever that can move the world.
Leadership is the same: your energy and power alone are limited, but when you deploy your Social Agency and the iLeadership architectural foundation, you obtain leverage to shift even the heaviest challenges.
Nothing is too big, or too difficult—we just need a long enough beam and a fulcrum…
If you have not yet been on the Influential Leadership journey, now is the time. Join us—become the lever that shifts the world. Give me a call, drop me an email—it’ll be great to hear your story and help you take the next step—for you, your family, school, business and community.
Regards,
Colin Donian
Karoo Founder & CEO
Influential Leadership is our Leverage!
Leadership Note # 3825 | 22.09.25
e: colind@karoo.world
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