(Book Preview) Levers of Control - The Four That Control Any Business
What Business Leaders Share with the Wright Brothers
“The question isn’t whether a business is pulling each of these levers, but how? There are limitless ways, and an equal number of suggestions of what’s best. Books, courses, podcasts, consultants, coaches, and gurus. There is a river of information, but it all flows towards pulling one of the four levers.”
The below is an excerpt from Part 1 - Chapter 4 of “Craft: The Expedition of Business”:
The Wright brothers, our friends from Chapter 2, spent decades tinkering and toiling with mechanisms, gadgets, and gizmos of all types before finally setting their sights on airplanes. A short five years later, they were ready to make history on a December morning at the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
It was cold, windy, and miserable; but it was also perfect conditions for flight. Wilbur had won a coin-toss to be first in the saddle, but his attempt to be “The First in Flight” had ended with a crash a few days prior. Orville would be at the controls.
The motor was humming, the wind was blowing, and once the restraining wire was cut, the plane started bouncing down the launch rail. Speed increased, wind rolled across the airfoil of the wings, wheels lifted off the rails, and there it was. Orville was in flight.
We can all relate to some version of toil and struggle before finally, success. I thought and schemed for some time before launching my first business. Landing those first clients, seeing the first checks roll in, hiring the first staff. No one is going to commemorate my story in a state motto or on a license plate, but the feeling seems parallel to Orville’s as things finally got off the ground.
I don’t know his specific reaction, but as he was soaring high above the ground in a contraption that made the flying car from “Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang” look like a Learjet, part of me suspects his reaction was just like mine and that of many business leaders new at the controls: “Oh shit, now what?”.
For Wilbur, that answer lay in the levers he had at his disposal. A lever for the speed of the engine. A lever for the angle of the wing. A lever for the pitch, roll, and yaw of the plane.
For me, the answer was in levers as well. Four of them. The four levers that any business is trying to control. Those that get (and keep) their organization soaring.
One for Energy. Hire it, grow it, buy it, cultivate it.
Another to Unify. Getting everyone aligned and moving in the same direction.
The third for Resistance. Lowering obstacles, working smarter, finding the best path.
And the last for Yield. Marketing and selling results for maximum return.
Keeping the plane in the air was about E.U.R.Y. and finding the right balance and tradeoffs between the four.
Every business has a form of the E.U.R.Y. model. They are all paid to do work. Something their customer or client can’t or would prefer not to do themselves. An opportunity they forgo because the resistance between them and the outcome they desire is too great.
The business exists because it can amass the energy needed to do the work. Unify it in a single direction. Lower the resistance to doing the work. And finally, maximize the yield they receive for a job well done.
These are the four variables of the infinite number of paths to success, and each business does (and should do) it differently.
A local plumbing company builds its…
Energy and their team by targeting recent high school graduates, partnering with a local community college to train them in the trade, and creating a profit-sharing plan to boost engagement.
Unity comes via their creed “treat every home like your own”, clear job descriptions, and documented SOPs. Everyone focused and aligned.
Resistance is lowered via larger trucks re-stocked daily with parts to avoid return trips. Customers being able to upload photos and videos of their plumbing issues, giving technicians the chance to prepare better before they arrive. It all makes the work easier.
Yield increases by offering preventative maintenance plans after a repair, asking for online reviews and testimonials, and by tracking the install dates of water heaters. That way they can contact customers when it’s time to be replaced. One customer, multiple benefits.
The question isn’t whether a business is pulling each of these levers, but how?
There are limitless ways, and an equal number of suggestions of what’s best. Books, courses, podcasts, consultants, coaches, and gurus. There is a river of information, but it all flows towards pulling one of the four levers.
“Hire slow, fire fast,” Energy
“Everyone rowing in the same direction,” Unify
“Work smarter, not harder,” Resistance
“Land and expand,” Yield
Best practices, effective strategies, common tactics, and even the clichés; they all find a home here. It’s our job as leaders to sift through all the information we come across. To figure out how it best serves us when sitting at the levers of control.
So, just how do we pull those levers?...
The next decision you make, stop an ask, what’s the intent here. Raise the energy? Unify it better? Lower the resistance? Or maximize the yield?
Learn more about my upcoming book at: TheExpeditionofBusiness.com
Learn more about Your Craft Your Climb, my business coaching and consulting practice at: YourCraftYourClimb.com
