As a manager, executive or owner, the only valuable you possess is your time. To successfully manage your time and grow your business, ask yourself the following question daily: “Does ‘it’ advance my business?” (“It,” being whatever activity you are doing or are about to start.)

Let’s take a look at several example which might resonate with you.

Activity – Understanding your direct reports’ personal goals

Does it advance my business? Absolutely.

Leaders who understand the personal goals of their direct reports can tie achieving corporate goals to each direct report achieving their personal goals, which typically results in more motivated and productive employees.

Activity – Going on sales calls as the “closer”

Does it advance my business? No.

Having “the boss” in a meeting may impress a prospect, but being brought in as the “closer” stunts your reps’ growth and becomes a time suck for you.

Activity – Giving your employees the answer when coaching

Does it advance my business? Not really.

Telling someone what to do or giving them the answer to their problem is called “tactical” coaching. It’s okay to coach tactically on occasion, but it is better to coach strategically, which not only helps your employee answer their own problem it stops the problem from happening again.

Activity – Holding your reps accountable to their weekly prospecting plan

Does it advance my business? Yes.

Holding each rep accountable to their weekly prospecting plan (number of calls, meetings, networking events, referral asks, etc.) should take as little as 20 minutes per week: five minutes on Monday and 15 minutes on Friday. By holding twice weekly accountability meetings you eliminate any mystification about what your reps are doing to grow your business and have an early warning system to detect problems before the end of a quarter.

By asking yourself, “does ‘it’ advance my business,” you’ll be more productive and more likely to reach your goals.

Hamish Knox is a Sandler Trainer in Calgary, Alberta.