Saturday, March 18, 2017

SUCCESS SPECIAL ......Things These Successful Executives Do Every Day--No Matter What

Things These Successful Executives Do Every Day--No Matter What

Getting ahead in business and life is less about luck and opportunity and more about discipline and sticking to small things proven to work over time.



The most successful executives and entrepreneurs you can think of likely didn't get where they are by chance. Typically, achieving great things involves hard work and perseverance, as well as a supportive network of friends and family. But another ingredient typically goes into the mix: discipline. Take it from these executives who share the daily habits that boosted them to the top and help them stay there.
1. Get to the point.
"We are living in a world where everyone is consuming bite-size messages. Long-winded emails either do not need all the details to get the point across, or are not read because the recipient simply doesn't have the time to digest the long message. If the email is getting to be longer than four to five sentences, consider a different medium."
--Wayne Baker, chief commercial officer of clinical payment solutions provider Greenphire
2. Request the opinions of others.
"It's easy to dismiss others' opinions on collaborative materials when you are the executive with the final say. However, I make it a point to seek the opinions of others on a daily basis. Listening to the opinions of others with different perspectives and life experiences, especially ones you disagree with, expands your thought process on the topic and can lead to ideas and designs you may not have previously considered. In the end, I make a decision and continue on, taking all decisions and their outcomes as a learning experience."
--Dotan Bar Noy, cybersecurity expert and CEO of ReSec Technologies
3. Make time for family.
"Every night when I come home from work, I shut off my phone and have family time for at least two hours. When my kids go to sleep, that's when I pull my computer back out and focus on work. Creating this separation is very important, and often easier said than done."
--Matt Murphy, co-founder of Chime, a lead generation and CRM solution for real estate professionals
4. Read history.
"It's a conscious way to slow down, reflect on the big picture, and learn about how decisions are made in the real world. It's also a way to stay personally inspired. Human history is full of individuals who transformed the world through little more than grit and imagination. That's a great regular reminder for anyone trying to do the same."
--Connor Wilson, co-founder and COO of Thursday Boot Company, a premium men's and women's boots and accessories brand
5. Make someone laugh.
"With a brand like Man Crates, it's not hard to see how laughter, comedy, and fun fit into our business model of selling tastefully irreverent, lightheartedly sincere gifts for men. I've long realized that humor is a remarkably powerful tool to bridge divides, tear down walls, communicate heartfelt emotions, and ultimately keep our customers connected to the people they care about. In an office setting, I've seen laughter help teams coalesce more quickly, keep work engaging and entertaining, and help co-workers build bonds in exactly the way that most corporate team building exercises tend to fail. Since we spend most of our lives at work, I think we might as well smile, laugh, and enjoy the ride along the way."
--Jon Beekman, founder and CEO of men's gifting company Man Crates
6. Make a to-do list.
"In the mornings, I sit down while drinking coffee and write out the top three to five tasks that need to be accomplished for the day. That keeps me focused on the key objectives that need to be done and limits distractions that might occur. In the evenings, I go for a three- to five-mile run to think about the day and get away from the computer."
--Janis Krums, co-founder of lead generation tool Opportunity
7. Practice chameleon-like flexibility.
"The most successful people are the most flexible. Unfortunately, leaders regularly impose their personality style on others rather than adapt to the needs of their people. One place this is particularly noticeable is when leaders provide feedback. Practice flexibility by considering the needs of the person you are speaking to and give the person feedback in his or her style, not yours. For detail-oriented people (Owls), provide specifics. For result-oriented people (Eagles), focus on bottom-line impact. For social people (Parrots), be enthusiastic. And for soft-spoken, harmonious people (Doves), convey sincerity. Be the Chameleon!"
--Merrick Rosenberg, author of The Chameleon and CEO of Take Flight Learning, a company that teaches people about personality styles, teamwork, and leadership
8. Meditate.
"I have been meditating daily since 1975. No matter what position you have in a company, stress can build up over the course of a workday. I find a few minutes of quiet meditation once or twice a day focuses my thoughts and improves my concentration. This allows me to address whatever comes up with a fresh perspective."
--Doug Waggoner, chairman of the board of directors and CEO at Echo Global Logistics
9. Open up with employees.
"I like to spend time with my team. Every day, I take a few minutes to catch up with them on their lives outside of TrialScope. This simple activity helps to build relationships, trust, and loyalty, but it also gives me insight into where my team members' heads and hearts are on any given day."
--Mike Forgash, CEO of TrialScope, provider of clinical trial transparency and compliance solutions
10. Help the people around you succeed.
"I put my team's needs before mine. By giving people the freedom and resources to do what they need to do, and by creating an environment where they can succeed, we all get to a better place as an organization."
--Dwight deVera, president and CEO of Forerunner Group, provider of RXTransparent, an end-to-end drug supply chain compliance solution for the health care industry
11. Don't trap yourself on an island.
"No matter what your role is, being too proud to dig in and ask tough questions can lead to trouble. What's worse than asking too many questions? Not asking enough before making an uninformed decision."
--Frank Morgiewicz, CEO of ArrowStream, which combines expertise in data science and analytics to improve the way supply chains perform
12. Protect your time for your priorities.
"I block off time on my calendar daily for both personal and business matters. When something tries to get scheduled during that time, I decline with empathy, explaining I already have something scheduled during that time. This habit not only helped me prioritize what were truly priorities, it also made sure I treated them as such by making sure I allocated time for them."
--Matthew H.J. Kim, founder and CEO of Vigilant Biosciences, a developer of solutions that aid in the early detection and intervention of cancer
13. Stay connected to as many people as possible in meaningful ways.
"At home, with brutal work schedules, I try to stay connected to my wife and all the kids by asking them [to tell me] something good and something crappy about their day. I also ask the kids to tell me one thing interesting about their homework. I still can't believe how much I learn from that across every middle and high school subject. At work, it's as simple as making sure you ask a person you don't usually interact with what they are working on, and what's challenging them from getting even better results. Staying connected is critical to maintain your pulse on the family and the business."
--Monte Zweben, co-founder and CEO of Splice Machine, which has built an open-source relational database management system
14. Be positive first.
"It can be easy to be critical. Compliment and provide positive feedback to your team and others you work with whenever you have the opportunity to do so. It keeps motivation and morale high and can make it easier when there are challenges or areas for improvement to discuss."
--Sue Vestri, CFO of Greenphire, provider of clinical payment solutions
15. Make time for face-to-face communication with each employee.
"Most employees hold on to a question or concern because they don't think it's that important to bring up. Validating that their concerns are very important no matter how big or small truly can make or break a solid team. So much is gained in that person's work ethic, motivation, and desire to do their best at their job. There's nothing like real human one-on-one communication, especially in this world of texts, emails, DMs, and iMessaging."
--Darice Smolenski, president of licensed medical marijuana dispensary the Reserve

By Christina DesMarais
WWW.INC.COM


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