The Leverage Game: How Smart Professionals Are Scaling Their Impact With AI
Efficiency isn't about working harder; it's about leverage. Discover how forward-thinking professionals are using AI as a strategic partner to automate the mundane and focus on high-value execution.
Shrijal Paudel
@shrijalpaudel
There is a concept in economics called Leverage. Archimedes famously said, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."
In the past, "leverage" in business meant hiring more staff or raising more capital. Today, the lever has changed. The new lever is Artificial Intelligence.
This isn't about asking a chatbot to write a funny poem. This is about how Business Professionals and Intrapreneurs (leaders within companies) are using tools to do the work of three people, without burning out.
The Core Problem
Most professionals spend 80% of their time on "Maintenance Work" (emails, reports, meeting notes) and only 20% on "Growth Work" (strategy, innovation, client relationships). We need to flip that ratio.
The Three Levels of AI Adoption
I see three types of people in the business world right now. Which one are you?
The Skeptic
Thinks AI is a fad. Still spending 4 hours a day writing generic emails. Complains about "not having enough time."
The Dabbler
Uses ChatGPT sometimes to summarize a text. Thinks it's "cool" but hasn't integrated it into their actual workflow.
The Strategist
Treats AI as a staff member. Automates the boring stuff. Focuses entirely on high-value decisions. This is where the money is.
Real World Application: The "Unstuck" Professional
Let's move away from theory. How does this actually look in the Nepali business ecosystem? Here are three scenarios of professionals gaining leverage.
Scenario 1: The Corporate Manager in Durbar Marg
The Pain: Aanisha needs to write a new "Remote Work Policy" for her department. She has been staring at a blank screen for two days, afraid to start.
The Leverage: She doesn't ask AI to "write a policy." She acts as a strategist. She feeds the AI her company's tone of voice and key requirements.
Result: She gets a 90% complete draft in 30 seconds. She spends the next hour refining it. Task done.
Scenario 2: The Agency Owner in Jhamsikhel
The Pain: Rajesh runs a digital marketing agency. A big client in Australia wants a proposal by tomorrow morning. Rajesh is exhausted.
The Leverage: Rajesh dictates his rough ideas into his phone while driving to work. He uploads the transcript to an LLM.
Result: He delivers a world-class proposal that looks like a team of five people wrote it.
Scenario 3: The Data-Overloaded Analyst
The Pain: The annual sales report is due. It's a messy Excel sheet with 5,000 rows. Finding trends manually will take all week.
The Leverage: She uploads the dataset (without sensitive info) to a secure AI analysis tool.
Result: She walks into the board meeting with insights that no one else spotted, positioning herself as a leader.
The "Editor Mindset"
The biggest mistake professionals make is trying to compete with the AI. You cannot type faster than a machine. You cannot read faster than a machine.
So, stop trying to be the Writer. Start being the Editor-in-Chief.
| Role | Responsibility | Who does it? |
|---|---|---|
| Drafting | Creating the first rough version | The AI |
| Structuring | Organizing the logic and flow | The AI |
| Context | Understanding local culture & nuance | YOU |
| Strategy | Deciding WHY we are doing this | YOU |
Conclusion: The Future is "Hybrid"
We often fear that technology will make us irrelevant. But in business, technology only makes the unadaptable irrelevant.
The professionals who will lead the market in Nepal and beyond are not the ones who work the hardest. They are the ones who understand how to orchestrate resources. They use AI to handle the volume so they can handle the value.
Don't be the person digging the hole with a spoon. You have an excavator sitting right in front of you. Learn the controls.
Ready to Scale Your Impact?
I write about the intersection of business strategy, technology, and growth. Let's connect.