Not all entrepreneurs are good leaders, that’s a known fact. It’s why a lot of small businesses fail in its first year.
What successful leaders have in common, though — irrespective of their industry, whether they are a website builder or a telemarketer — is what they do on a daily basis.
They have a daily discipline that helps in handling their businesses, because the routine improves their productivity and gives them the biggest payback on their investment of time and balance between work and family/personal life.
Here are the seven daily habits of successful leaders and entrepreneurs.
1. Establish a daily routine
Having a daily routine is the key to living an organized life.
At any one time, you have three main aspects of your life to deal with: your family, your social life, and your work (i.e., your role as a leader).
Without a proper routine, you can’t give each of these important parts of your life the attention it requires, and without balance, one or several will suffer.
Furthermore, you won’t be able to prioritize and accomplish tasks on time, too, affecting your productivity.
The fact is, you can multitask effectively when you have a daily routine, accomplishing more in the given time that you have.
2. Consume relevant information/news
A lot of decisions successful leaders make are based on information that they get daily. It is unfortunate if you remain unaware of key news about the industry, as it may end up having an impact on your company or organization.
Do what other highly successful leaders do: read up first thing in the morning about everything you can regarding your business/industry.
How do you access relevant information?
You have to aggregate the relevant news feeds. By setting feed readers to aggregate news based on keywords such as company name or industry name, you will know any new information about it as soon as it becomes available.
3. Learn, learn, learn
Successful leaders are lifelong learners. The business world is so dynamic that we have new innovations and technologies coming up regularly.
Like Darwin’s Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection, people who are not ready to learn new things will be overtaken by events.
To lead an organization successfully, you should be acquainted with the latest information and developments about your industry. Whether it is on algorithms or legal policies, you need to be on top of it.
Learning is a continuous process and plays a pivotal role in understanding the environment around you.
Don’t get this wrong. It doesn’t mean you have to go back to school! You can learn from your peers, from your fellow leaders, or even from your junior staff. By acquiring information from different sources, such leaders will always make socially, economically, and politically sound decisions.
4. Delegate or outsource tasks
Leaders are not involved directly in all of the company’s activities. The fact that you strive for perfection and excellence does not imply you have to do everything yourself.
You have to delegate and outsource some services. Of course, it is based on trust and careful assessment that such individuals can actually accomplish the work at hand.
Take for instance, the approach John Chen, the CEO of BlackBerry Ltd., employed on BlackBerry DTEK50. He outsourced the hardware while the firm focused on the software.
Successful leaders learn to trust other business partners in the industry and outsource duties to them. It is a way to increase productivity.
5. Evaluate your progress and adjust accordingly
Assessing your progress is an important aspect of business management and leadership.
It is an aspect that most companies’ leaders leverage on.
Successful leaders evaluate every action or progress they make to ensure they meet the company’s key objectives. This is exactly what Tim Cook has done since 2011 and it is why we are always waiting for new iPhones.
Learn to evaluate and assess past services, products, or decisions to improve future ones.
6. Exercise and meditate
President Obama hits the gym every morning and so does Mark Zuckerberg, who enjoys running as his daily routine. Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regularly does yoga, too.
People who are successful make exercise a priority. It is a sure way to maintain good health, as well as keeping the mind fit. Exercise and meditation relieve stress, making you more productive throughout the day.
7. Spend time with family and friends
Successful leaders spend quality time with their loved ones. Not only will it make you happier, it will also inspire you to go an extra mile for success. As a matter of fact, all CEOs go for a holiday with their loved ones every year.
As much as successful leaders and entrepreneurs have different personalities and work in various industries, whether as a website builder or car dealership manager, they all have these daily habits in common. Try these yourself and see your productivity improve!
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Originally published at www.bookmark.com on September 6, 2016.
