Facebook, Apple and Virgin: global super-brands all founded by individuals who have become supreme business gurus. Talent, tenacity and long-term vision have all played a part in these success stories but sometimes it?s the seemingly insignificant decisions of outstanding entrepreneurs that are the bedrock of their achievement.
Here are nine habits practiced by successful entrepreneurs that you could incorporate into your daily work routine:
1. Minimize day-to-day decisions
Facebook?s Mark Zuckerberg focuses his energy on his most important decisions and completely eliminates a minor decision each of us make every single morning: what to wear today? Mimicking Steve Jobs who wore jeans and the same black turtleneck every day, the founder of Facebook wears the same daily uniform of jeans and a hoodie, with very few exceptions.
What
daily decision could you drop from your routine?
2. Be a visible presence in your company
Richard Branson, the face of Virgin, knows that being a visible presence in times of both calm and crisis are equally important. As well as spending some of his time communicating with people all the way down the ladder, welcoming minor ideas and game changers, he also understands that his presence during crisis is absolutely critical. When a Virgin train derailed in Cumbria, in 2007, Richard was in Switzerland where a severe snowstorm was blowing through. Regardless, he knew the importance of being on the scene to show his genuine empathy towards those affected ? making it clear that he valued ?people? and ?safety? above ?profit? and ?finance?.
Being
a visible and compassionate leader is crucial to customer, as well as staff,
loyalty.
3. Meditate and take time out of the daily grind.
Padmasree Warrior, the former Chief Technology and Strategy
officer of Cisco Systems, meditates every night and spends her Saturdays performing
a "digital detox." In her previous role as Cisco's head of
engineering, Warrior oversaw 22,000 employees, and she told the New York Times in 2012 that taking time to meditate and unplug helped her to
manage it all.
?It?s almost like a reboot for your brain and your
soul,? she said.
?It makes me so much calmer when I?m responding to e-mails later.?
Could
you do with a little calm before the daily storm?
4. Question your motives
In a commencement address he gave at Stanford back in 2005, Steve Jobs revealed the motivational tactic that he used to start each and every day.
?For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?
?And whenever the answer has been no for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.??
Be
sure that you still have a passion for your business ? if you don?t it?s
unlikely to be successful.
5. Write down the top three things you want to accomplish tomorrow
The last thing Kenneth Chenault, American Express CEO does before leaving his office at night is to write down the top three things he wants to accomplish tomorrow. Then he?ll use that list to start his next day.
What
does tomorrow?s list look like for you? Never underestimate focus and goals.
6. Get your blood pumping before work
One of the more enthusiastic morning routines we found was that of Anna Wintour, Vogue Editor-in-chief. She starts each day at 5:45 a.m. with an hour-long tennis match.
Whilst spending an hour on court each day may not quite fit in with most people?s routines for whatever reasons: unmovable schedules, family commitments, or perhaps the total inability to effectively swing a racket, regular exercise has huge benefits to your mental health and physical well-being.
Move
your body each day and increase your productivity in the workplace.
7. Wake up earlier
Disney CEO Robert Iger likes to wake up before dawn.
Rising early gives you the chance to do your work before the rest of the world awakens to distract you. It will also allow you enough time to organize your day, see your kids, get some exercise, or travel to wherever you need to be.
What
time did you wake up today?
8. Place calls before 9 am
Donald Trump likes to make his telephone calls before the rush of the workday. It?s also a neat trick to reach people?especially other executives who are up early.
Over-achievers don?t follow the traditional nine-to-five workday schedule and they?re usually working well beyond those hours.
Be an
early bird and catch that worm!
9. Financial restraint
It?s rare to find a business owner that doesn?t work hard, putting every waking minute into sustaining or growing their business. When lapping up periods of financial success, many owners will look to self-congratulate, perhaps expensing a new car, holiday or some other luxury.
However, a conscientious entrepreneur will delay spending on themselves in order to maximize the return on their investment.
While instant gratification is appealing, a savvy business owner will look at how they can invest their money in assets, which will eventually translate into more money.
Always
keep a healthy contingency fund ? you never know what?s around the corner in
business.
Which of these 9 habits will you copy first?
By Rose Hill, online journalist for BusinessesForSale.com, the market-leading directory of business opportunities from Dynamis. Rose writes for all titles in the Dynamis stable including PropertySales.com and FranchiseSales.com.