At Leverage to Lead, we help leaders and individuals make the invisible visible—surfacing the beliefs, assumptions, and systemic pressures that shape decisions. This clarity is what opens the door to sufficiency.
We live within a paradox: socialized to value individualism, self-reliance, and the myth of the self-made person, while depending deeply on systems, institutions, and other people for our well-being. In fact, interdependence is part of our human condition. These values are not inherently good or bad—but without awareness, they invisibly shape how we make decisions about work, money, success, and worth.
This is the tension at the heart of capitalism. In this system, we’re told that opportunity is available to all through hard work and merit, yet we see how access to wealth and power is consolidated and systemically barricaded. Wealth becomes the measure of success, while connection, care, and interdependence are treated as secondary—or even weaknesses.
In Nikole Hannah-Jones’ 1619 Project, Matthew Desmond names the consequences of this system clearly:
“Low-road capitalism, in making possible the pursuit of near-limitless personal fortunes, often at someone else’s expense, puts a cash value on our moral commitments.”
These dynamics apply to all of us. Even those with perceived privilege are motivated by the fear of job loss, professional irrelevance, and being seen as replaceable. Scarcity is the fuel.
This scarcity—what we call the Cycle of Enough—leaves many of us caught in constant striving, measuring, and self-doubt. We work harder, say yes more often, ignore our limits, and assume the problem is us. But this cycle is designed to keep us fixated on short-term performance, disconnected from our values, and afraid to stop and ask the question that could change everything:
What is actually enough?
Enough money. Enough time. Enough stability. Enough growth. Enough recognition.
And most importantly: enough care and support to be fully human in the midst of it all.
The Role of Class in the Cycle of Enough
Understanding sufficiency also means understanding class, not just as income, but as perception.
- Class identity is how you see yourself: your sense of social position, entitlement, and constraint in the world.
- Classism is the consequences of how others perceive you—and how society assigns value based on assumptions about your background, education, profession, or material wealth.
- Class discrimination isn’t just about exclusion. It creates invisible hierarchies of people, impacts who gets heard and seen, and dictates access to even basic needs.
And because class intersects with race, gender, and other identity markers, the experience of scarcity and “enoughness” can look and feel very different across individuals.
Many of us are taught that our worth must be proven—through performance, polish, and proximity to power. When recognition doesn’t come, we’re told to work harder.
This is the dehumanizing trap of transactional culture: you only matter if you produce. We begin to internalize that we’re not valuable unless we’re constantly striving.
What Sufficiency Offers
Sufficiency offers us a different way forward. It invites us to pause the Cycle of Enough and ask:
- What would it mean to live a full life—one where work is part of it, but not all of it?
- What are my actual needs, and how might I meet them with dignity and care?
- Where might I be measuring myself against someone else’s definition of success?
These are deeply personal questions. But they are also collective ones. Because the truth is: we need each other.
Scarcity convinces us to hide our needs and figure it out alone. Sufficiency reminds us that we can name our needs, set boundaries, and be supported. It’s how we interrupt the belief that we must always be producing, always be pleasing, always be performing.
For Leaders
Leaders have a particular responsibility—and opportunity—to disrupt the scarcity mindset within their organizations. Sufficiency is not about settling. It’s about asking:
- What are our true fiscal responsibilities, and how do our beliefs about money shape our choices?
- How are we balancing sustainability with the well-being of our people?
- Do our systems support human needs—or only outputs and deliverables?
- What is the impact of our expectations on those with less positional power?
When we work with leaders, we see again and again that those who care deeply about their people are often hardest on themselves. Sufficiency, for them, is learning to receive partnership, build capacity, and make space for others to thrive—not by doing more, but by sharing responsibility and making decisions with intention.
For Individuals
Even outside formal leadership, we are all participants in the systems around us. And we have the power to begin choosing differently:
- What beliefs do I hold about success, productivity, and value? Where did they come from?
- What relationships can support me in this moment? Who can I ask for help?
- Where am I overextending myself in an effort to prove that I belong?
- What does “enough” look like in my current season of life?
Naming these things is hard—especially when we’re tired, afraid, or have been repeatedly told we’re not enough. But you don’t have to find sufficiency alone. The first step is seeing the dynamic clearly. The next is remembering that support, connection, and community are available.
Sufficiency as a Countercultural Practice
To pursue sufficiency is to resist a system that equates worth with unlimited wealth. It’s to ask: What does a full life look like—one where work is a part of it, but not the entirety of it? It’s to claim your agency in defining what is “enough” for you, your team, and your organization.
Sufficiency is not about settling or doing less. It’s about aligning your actions with your values so you can invest your attention, time, and resources where they matter most.
It is, in many ways, a radical act. And it’s one we are honored to support.