"If you don't understand leverage, you don't understand leadership." A mentor in GE's world-class leadership program told me this many times.

But, more than just tell me, he demonstrated it. He'd hand me a book and say, "Chapter 7 shares a perspective on that problem you're dealing with."

This mentor would frequently share relevant YouTube video and articles.

One of his most memorable lessons in leverage: an experience. He asked me to take the lead on an engineering project for a military fighter jet. A crucial meeting was rapidly approaching.

My mentor took a few days off and let me experience the responsibility and pressure. Did everything go smoothly? No! Did I learn some lessons that might have taken years to learn otherwise? Yes!

How can you better use leverage?

Archimedes said, "Give me a lever long enough and I will move the world."