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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