Are You Focused on the Right Things? Why Every Leader Must Know Their IPAs and HLAs

You might be wondering — what are those, and why should you care?

Here’s the simple truth:
 

Most business owners, managers, and teams are stuck doing things that don’t actually move the needle.
 

They are busy... but not productive.
 

They are working... but not growing.

And it’s not their fault.
 

They’re trapped in old patterns — fighting fires, managing tasks, and staying buried in responsibilities that feel necessary but don’t drive the business forward.

That’s where IPA and HLA work comes in.

Understanding HLAs and IPAs

HLAs stand for High Leverage Activities — the things you do that create the most momentum and change with the least amount of effort or time.
IPAs are Income Producing Activities — the actions that directly or indirectly drive revenue into your business.

Every person in your company has both.

And when you don't recognize them, you're bleeding time, money, and opportunity without even realizing it.

This is a top-down process. It starts with you — the owner, the leader — and it cascades through your entire team.

Examples:

• HLA: You’re not doing your own bookkeeping. Instead, you're reviewing your financial reports monthly and making strategic adjustments to keep overhead in check.

• HLA: You’re not just collecting KPIs — you’re analyzing the data to spot where performance is on track... and where it needs course correction.

• IPA: Your treatment coordinator in a dental practice, for example, is focused on converting consultations into scheduled procedures. Every minute they’re pulled away for admin tasks, your revenue engine stalls.

See the difference?

Tasks can be delegated.
 

Decisions, leadership, and results must stay at the top.

Why This Matters — And Why It’s Ongoing

This isn’t a one-time event.
 

It’s a continual process of elevating, reassessing, and acknowledging performance:

• Identify strengths.

• Elevate roles to match talents.

• Reassess performance with real data.

• Celebrate wins to build momentum.

Too often, owners and managers can’t see it because they’re stuck in the trenches.
They resist changing how they work because the chaos feels normal.

But once they see how clearly this transforms the business — once they feel the results — they can’t unsee it.
 

And they will never go back to managing by firefighting again.

This is how you build a business that scales.

This is how you become a real leader instead of an overworked manager.

This is how you move from survival... to success.

If you’re ready to get out of the trenches and finally move the needle, let's talk.
Your business — and your life — deserve it.

Learn more about how Leverage Consulting helps business owners reclaim their time and scale smarter.