Hierarchies of Value

Hierarchies of value sit quietly at the heart of the Thought Leaders game.
It’s one of the tensions we don’t always name, but we all feel.

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Why We Don’t Sell Time

Hierarchies of value sit quietly at the heart of the Thought Leaders game.

It’s one of the tensions we don’t always name, but we all feel.

Are we all equal in worth? Yes.
Do we all contribute in the same way, or create the same impact? Not always.
And that’s OK.
Some contributions are quiet, steady, and foundational. Others are catalytic, leveraged, and highly visible.
We honour them differently not because one is better, but because each brings its own kind of value.

This is one of society’s biggest dualities: a collective tug-of-war between fairness and reward.

Libertarians argue for freedom. Capitalists reward output. Socialists honour dignity.
Each view holds truth. And each becomes flawed when it excludes the others.

The German philosopher Hegel called this a dialectic, a clash of thesis and antithesis that, when held consciously, can produce a higher-order synthesis.
That’s the invitation here: not to pick sides, but to hold the tension long enough for something more intelligent and more whole to emerge.

Are You OK Making More Money Than Someone Else?

What makes that OK in your world?

• Is it that you worked more hours? (Hello, Industrial Revolution.)
• Or that your work is better, deeper, more masterful? (Think: master artists.)

If it’s simply an inputs–outputs equation, don’t play the Thought Leaders game.
That’s a factory mindset, unit-based, equalised, and mechanical.

But if it’s not about hours, then it must be about value.
Which means… we’re talking about a hierarchy of value.

And here’s the rub:
An inability to accept value asymmetry leads to fear around pricing, guilt around success, and an unconscious need to “stay small.”

This plays out in all kinds of ways - 
selling time instead of outcomes, undercharging, resisting the Belt system.
It’s why so many people never get to a Million Dollar Practice.

Not because they’re not good enough.
But because they’re still trying to be “fair.”

Fair to who?

Fair to clients, by undercharging?
Fair to peers, by not out-earning them?
Fair to your past self, who used to work harder for less?

This kind of fairness isn’t always virtue. Sometimes, it’s hesitation in disguise.
It’s an internalised belief that your rise might mean someone else’s fall, as if value were a zero-sum game.

But insight, transformation, and impact aren’t limited resources.
You don’t need to shrink your worth to make things fair.
You need to expand your understanding of what fairness actually means.

Fair doesn’t mean equal.
Fair means just, earned, aligned.
That doesn’t mean we ignore equity, accessibility, or generosity.
You can be generous and commercial.
You can price in a way that honours both the work you do and the world you want to help shape.
But let it be intentional not habitual.
Conscious fairness expands value. Compulsive fairness often shrinks it.

The Plumber in the Vatican

The Vatican is flooding.
Plumber after plumber is called in. None can fix it. Days go by. Priceless art is at risk.

Eventually, the gathered plumbers speak in hushed tones… “There is one man. Luigi. But … he is expensive, Monsignor.”

The cardinal doesn’t hesitate. “Get him.”

Luigi arrives in the middle of the night. Sleepy. Calm. Dishevelled.

He walks up to a pipe. Takes a nearby hammer.
And with a single bang, stops the flood.

The cardinal stares in disbelief. “One hit? That’s it? For $100,000?”

Luigi smiles. “The hit was free.
Knowing where to hit? That’s what you paid for.”

Yes, it’s a fable. In real life, most clients need to see your mastery before they’ll pay for it.

That’s why positioning, reputation, and results matter.
But it’s not just the insight they’re paying for, it’s the experience of working with someone who shows up clearly, communicates cleanly, and delivers confidently.

We’re in the experience business.
You may have the knowledge, but if the delivery doesn’t land, the value doesn’t either.
People don’t just buy transformation. They buy how it’s offered.
They remember how it felt to be in the room with you.
The story they’ll tell later isn’t just what you said — it’s how you made it real for them.

So yes, earn the right.
Build the trust.
Deliver the experience.
And once you’ve done that?

Don’t undercharge for the tap.

What Do We Mean by Value Asymmetry?

Value asymmetry means that not all contributions create equal impact — and they don’t need to.
Some work is replaceable. Some is rare. Some is transformative.

It’s not about ego. It’s about effect.
A single idea can shift someone’s future.
A 30-minute conversation can save 30 years of wandering.

That’s not unfair. That’s asymmetric.

And here’s the key:
Acknowledging value asymmetry doesn’t mean endorsing inequality.
It means being honest about what shifts outcomes and owning the part you play in that shift.

Perceived value is also shaped by bias, race, gender, accent, and background.
The world doesn’t always reward the right people, or in the right way.

That’s why claiming your value is an act of leadership.
We don’t play fair by playing small.
We play fair by redefining what value looks like on our own terms.

You can honour dignity, pursue equity, and still price on impact.

Something to Sit With:
Karl Marx argued that labour creates value — and that when value is extracted disproportionately, we call that exploitation.

Capitalists argue that value also comes from risk, ownership, and innovation and that those who invest more should receive more.

In the Thought Leaders model, you are both the labour and the owner.
You do the work. You own the IP. You carry the risk. You harvest the reward.

Some will say: “That still sounds like capitalism dressed up in creativity.”
Maybe. But in our model, the means of production aren’t owned by someone else, they’re owned by you.
Your ideas. Your voice. Your platform.

So here’s the deeper question:

Are you still thinking like labour — or have you started pricing like ownership?

If Hegel was right, evolution doesn’t come from eliminating conflict, but from synthesising opposing truths.
Time and value. Effort and impact. Equality and reward.
All can be honoured. But not all are paid the same.

That’s not a moral failure.
That’s value asymmetry, and it’s yours to claim.

Some ways we can help?

1. Get a copy of our book The Thought Leaders Practice. Request a copy here.
2. Invest in our Foundation Program and learn our curriculum in your own time and at your own pace. Sign up now.
3. Join our online Business School and start making money as you make an impact with the work you were born to do on the planet.  Join our next discovery session.