“Leaders build the future with their teams. Bosses are monitoring that their employees dedicate the maximum time to their job. Are you well using what you have?”
The leader must guide his team in aiming the company’s objectives. Leaders should understand the current situation and determine what needs to change to get where the company needs to go.
The most valuable resource a leader has is not the budget, not the technology, not even the talent — it’s the discretionary time of high-performing people. How that time is directed determines whether an organization drifts or advances.
The shift from “managing time” to “directing energy toward strategic objectives” requires three things:
Clarity: Every team member should be able to answer, without hesitation, how their current work connects to the company’s top priorities.
Trust: Micromanagement is the opposite of leverage. Leaders who check on every task are burning the relationship capital that makes discretionary effort possible.
Rhythm: Regular, short check-ins replace long status meetings. They keep alignment without consuming the creative energy that strategy requires.
The question worth asking in your next leadership team meeting: “If we looked at how our team spent their best hours last week, would we see those hours aligned with our strategic priorities?”