The Real Cost of a Lost Minute

Leadership isn’t just about big decisions and bold strategies.

It’s about the small actions — the daily clarity, accountability, and alignment — that quietly drive results.

The Michelin Brothers said it best over a century ago: the smallest inefficiencies add up over time.

One minute lost per hour doesn’t seem like much — until you do the math.

• 1 minute lost per hour = 8 minutes per workday

• That’s 2,400 minutes a year per employee — about 40 hours, or a full workweek, gone.

• Multiply that by a 100-person company: now you’ve lost 4,000 hours annually.

• With an average US salary of $80,000, that’s about $40 per hour — meaning your business is quietly losing $160,000 a year in wasted time.

And that’s just from a single minute per hour.

But here’s what’s important:

This isn’t about people wasting time scrolling their phones.

It’s about leadership gaps.

Minutes are lost when:

• Priorities aren’t clear

• Decisions are delayed

• Teams aren’t aligned

• Managers avoid tough conversations

• Processes are clunky, or communication is inconsistent

These small leadership misses create confusion, stalls, and rework — tiny delays that compound across teams, days, and quarters.

And most leaders don’t see it happening. They chase the big fires but miss the steady drip of lost clarity and alignment draining their business every day.

The smart ones measure it.

They track how well managers are creating clarity, reinforcing accountability, and leading their teams toward aligned goals.

Because leadership, like profit, is a system. And if you’re not managing it, it’s leaking value.

Small actions create big outcomes.

And in today’s world, those outcomes are either driving your growth or quietly costing you six figures a year in lost time and stalled execution.

Want to know where your leadership gaps are hiding?

Start measuring the team experience — not just the business results.

🔵 Curious where your team might be losing time? Take the SKOR Preview.