HUMAN LEVERAGE 13
tal greatly determines the productivity of people. In an abso-
lute sense, that is correct. If you give me a gazillion-dollar
supercomputer, I can solve large mathematical equations
faster than I can by using my laptop. But the question is:
Can I do it as fast as a mathematics professor using the
same equipment? No way! This is the human leverage.
A related argument says that brand equity has much to
do with the success of a given salesperson. It’s true that if I
am selling Coca-Cola versus Joe’s Cola, I will probably sell
more Coke than Joe’s with less effort. But if you are a better
salesperson than I am, you will sell more Coke than I will. It
is fair to claim that factors other than human knowledge,
skill, and effort affect the