11 Habits of truly successful CEOs

Before modelling the success or paths of successful leaders and individuals. Ask yourself whether you would trade places with them. We all define success differently. Here are 11 habits and principles, but please create your own.

Every successful person that I’ve met in my life has a Daily Method of Operation (DMO), and specific character traits and values that underly their "success", abundance and ability to manifest ideas into motion. Let's explore them together.

Respect Time
Journalling
Be a Student of Life - Learn Daily
Value Time Over Money
Say Yes - Accept Invitations from aligned people and networks for 12 months.
Say No - It's either a hell yes or a heck no.
Be You, in all its uniqueness.
Don’t live for the Weekends
Focus on the “Why” and "Who" Not the “How To”
Welcome Feedback
Appreciation and Acknowledgement are 10x

Respect Time

This may seem like a no-brainer in the business world, but you would be surprised how many people still don’t make this a priority–it’s mind-boggling.

If a leader is consistently late, it tells others that he or she is unreliable or has no respect for the time of the individuals he or she works with.

If you value your time, then character suggests that you must value the time of others. Even if we are a free-flowing people or on "bali time", we can distinguish the difference between catching up casually versus intentional appointments. Communicating the difference matters.

Either way, be on time for every scheduled appointment, every day, without exception.

Journalling

You can take a piece of paper or use apps like notion.so to stay mobile. Create a template of questions, model other successful people or simply brain dump and write as it comes up.

Either way, take 10-15 minutes a day to write and align your thoughts. There is something special about pen and paper. It embodies many learning styles and seems to be more effective long term.

Be a Student of Life - Learn Daily

How much have you learned this year?

The average CEO reads sixty books per year.

However, be mindful that there are 7 learning styles. We all learn differently and that's ok.

If you are more visual, youtube, rumble, webinars, online events and conferences

If you love to read, hard copy books, kindle and even blogs are great.

If you are auditory, then audiobooks are great. Audible, blinkist, spotify and other platforms like anchor.fm are great spaces.

If you are more hands-on, kinaesthetic.. then ... in-person events, learning by doing, getting your hands dirty or hearts embodied in the task is a powerful way to learn.

Be a student of life, from your first breath to your last. Ultimately, simply stay curious and follow the energetic flow of anything that captures your mind, heart or curiosity.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it empowers the CEO

Value Time Over Money

If you value money over time you’ll have very little of both.

If you value time over money, you will have an abundance of both. Because you can always make more money, but you cannot make back any wasted time. If we are lucky we will get 600,000 to 1 million hours in this 72-100 year lifespan. Learn to value your time and not trade it for money.

Say Yes - Accept Invitations from aligned people and networks for 12 months.

Because you never know who you will meet or the advice you’ll receive.

I have been "called" to go to a specific place, chat to a certain person or simply show up at random events. You may have heard the saying that "the journey is the path" and most of the "magic moments happen in the hallways" where we meet strangers by synchronous luck. Over and over in my life, when connecting the dots backwards, one chance connection has opened doors that I never knew existed and attracted abundant opportunities into my life that I would have never thought possible.

Say No - It's either a hell yes or a heck no.

If unsure tune into your own heart, internal compass and path.

Notice whether this "feels" aligned with who you are, what you see for the world and where you are going. If it doesn't "feel right" or the "gut instinct" is on high alert. Trust it. If unsure, lean in and confirm whether your instincts were right or whether it was more fear and anxiety masquerading as "your gut".

Character, notice how people treat people.

A mentor shared something powerful with me early in my business journey.

I had an opportunity for a 250k investment on the table. I told him that I was unsure about it. And asked what he thought.

He said the only way to know if something is what it is. You must notice their character. What they do when no one watching, whether their actions align with the words and most importantly how they treat people who can give nothing in return.

He suggested that I take him out for dinner with the team and let the vibes and beers flow freely. From here simply observe what happens. People will show you their true character when they are drunk or by the way they treat the waiter.

Sure enough, the investor's words were silky and the whole team was excited and hyped by the opportunity. However, at the end of the night, the investor decided to pay the bill. Which was a nice gesture. As he went to pay, in the background I noticed him treating the wait staff with complete disrespect. No one else at the table saw it. The following day, 3 of the team members said yes to the investment. I was the only one to say no. I told the team what I had seen, but they didn't seem concerned.

Sure enough, 1 month later, it turned out that the investor didn't have access to the money and was more interested in one of our team members than the business vision.

Later, I told my mentor and he laughed. He said that every business partnership is a marriage. If you can't see yourself sitting at a table with them in 10 years' time, then it's not right for you or the business.

Be You, in all its uniqueness.

You might have heard the term "dress for success" or "fake it till you make it". Yes, this may work temporarily. However, you will probably attract people who are doing the same and end up in an illusionary network of wealth hunters.

Notice how truly successful people dress on specific occasions. You may have noticed that away from social media, they are simple and everyday people like you and me. Steve jobs paved the way for the newly rich.

Whilst travelling, I have met 18 years olds in board shorts on a Wednesday morning that after a brief conversation, share that they have a 7 figure youtube business, automated courses, compound interest investments and even businesses that they work on, rather than in.

I'm mindful of the people with Rolex watches and suits. But, I'm more curious about the people living their best life, with an empty calendar, a present smile and an open heart that is willing to help and connect with anyone they come across.

If someone has an empty calendar, an automated business, a small team, free time, presence, a full bank "at enough", positive-sum investments and trusted networks of people that speak highly of them when they are not in the room. Then, I take notice.

Also, don't let the age fool you. A 6o-year-old with no time, 4 houses and millions in debt is less successful than a millennial with an empty calendar, no debt, positive-sum investments and automated businesses with small distributed workforces in my eyes.

Ask yourself, is this someone I would be willing to trade lives with?

Don’t live for the Weekends

If you are caught in the 9-5 live for the weekend vibe, it's ok. We all have to start somewhere. I washed dishes, made coffee, worked in kitchens, woke up at 5 am as a personal trainer and even did 100 hour weeks as a health professional. Until I realised that there is a better way.

Whether you read the 4-hour workweek to be inspired by the idea of working to live. Leveraging, delegating and automating your business with enabling systems. Or, learn to lead and attract the right people so that you can work ON, rather than IN the business. There is a small pivot that anyone can make to shift the balance from living to work, to working to live.

Imagine if you could choose your own work hours and block off your calendar for important life moments without needing to ask anyone.

Focus on the “Why” and "Who" Not the “How To”

Everyone wants the HOW to guide to xyz, like this post. However, I want to flip the script. Find the WHO that knows the HOW. Start with WHY and share your passion openly.

It's impossible to be a master at everything. However, even a 6-year-old with a powerful vision can get the attention of business movers like Richard Branson or Elon Musk.

See one of the best ever crowdfunding campaigns created by a child and his dad. Flow hive. It took 10 years of father/dad moments to design and only 477 seconds to get millions in crowdfunding.

The world will let you know what it needs and wants. Make sure you are customer-centric and listen.

Welcome Feedback

You may have watched the documentary on Barrack Obama. The first African American president of the United States of America.

One thing that everyone shared about his 8 years in the white house, is that he was a master of listening to everyone around him.

The first part was to ensure that he was surrounded by people with unique talents, skills and geniuses. Everyone's perspective was considered. Ultimately, once all feedback and viewpoints were considered, he would have to make the best decision "for the people".

Once the decision was made, he was also open to adjusting, course correcting and pivoting if necessary. However, the core part of the feedback was to ensure that the direction was right as a starting point.

Appreciation and Acknowledgement are 10x

An appreciated person will go above and beyond what is required at any moment.

An unappreciated person will do 10x less work and will be ok sliding under the radar and doing the bare minimum.

It means attracting the right people and appreciating them every step of the way in action, not just words. May result in 10x productivity rather than a business that underperforms with high wages and expenses each month