Don't Rush, Find the Leverage, Make Connections
On this page 4 headings
Start here In the middle of a seminar, the projector suddenly dies, but the fans and lights still work. Everyone waits for an electrician. One professor, who knows how the hall’s wiring works, simply plugs the projector into another socket. The talk goes on. That’s a leverage point.
Prof. Sivakumar explains three habits.
Habit 1: Consider an issue fully; don’t jump to a quick conclusion
- Weigh the options and possible outcomes before you decide.
- Hasty decisions lead to poor results.
- The tension while a problem is unsolved is what pushes us into hasty decisions. Accept the tension; don’t let it rush you.
- Once you decide, communicate it clearly.
- Sometimes a quick fix is truly needed. That’s fine, but it should be rare.
Lecture example — the student who wanted a new supervisor A research student asked to change his supervisor. After hearing his story, Prof. Sivakumar almost agreed. Then he stopped: “I’ve only heard one side.” He spoke to the supervisor, took time to think, and then held a meeting with both, where the student showed his work so far. The real problem was poor communication: the supervisor had assumed the student wasn’t working. Once they talked, it was solved, without changing supervisors.
Habit 2: Use the system’s structure to find leverage points
A lever lets a small push lift a heavy load. A leverage point is a place in a system where a small change gives a big result. To find one, you must understand how the system is built.
Lecture example — the projector and the three-phase power The hall had a three-phase power supply, and only one phase had failed. A colleague who knew this plugged the projector into a socket on a working phase. The meeting went on with almost no break. Understanding the structure showed him the leverage point.
Lecture example — the Leisure Time Activities Programme (LTAP) As Dean of Students, Prof. Sivakumar wanted IIT students to develop all-round, not just academically. After years of exam preparation, many had dropped hobbies. The team did a “time audit”: they mapped a typical student’s 24 hours (classes, mess timings, hostel life, sleep, weekends) to find the free time. They noticed students like a formal structure, like a course. So they created structured programmes (fine arts, literary and cultural skills, personal growth) at the right times, with easy fees and easy payment. It is still running today.
Questions to find leverage points:
- What works well in the system? What gives poor results?
- What does the system achieve overall (the big picture)?
- What small changes would improve the results a lot?
- How can the good results last a long time?
Habit 3: Make meaningful connections within and between systems
A system is a set of connected parts. If an important connection breaks, the system can collapse into a heap. So:
- Spot the connections within a system and between different systems. They can be logical, functional, or cause-and-effect connections.
- Practise by drawing cause-and-effect diagrams of systems around you. With practice, you begin to see connections that aren’t obvious at first.
Lecture example — the plant Seed → plant → flower → fruit → seed. But the plant is also connected to bees and butterflies (pollination), birds (spreading seeds), sun, water and wind, and even to pests and bad weather. A farmer must understand all these connections to protect the crop and get good seeds.
Transfer what you learn: if you understand the leverage points of one system, check whether a similar system has similar ones. This leads to innovation.
Learning is about connections too: sun, water and soil help a seed grow; a teacher, books and a good learning space help a mind grow. We learn by observing others (thanks to “mirror neurons”), which builds better relationships and more happiness.
In one line: Don’t rush to conclusions, understand the system’s structure to find small actions with big effects, and keep practising seeing connections within and between systems. Exam words: consider an issue fully, hasty conclusion, leverage point, leverage action, three-phase example, time audit, Leisure Time Activities Programme, cause-and-effect diagram, connections within and between systems, transfer of understanding.