“in order to be successful, smart people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do” that is part of a quote from the late Jim Rohn, successful entrepreneur, renowned public speaker, mentor and author. He understood that becoming successful meant making hard decisions and sacrifices by adopting and sticking to habits that many people find hard to do. It is common knowledge that our daily habits ultimately determine who we become. As the saying goes We become what we continuously do.

There has been a lot of research about habits that make successful CEOs, and while there have been variation in the results gotten from looking at the lives and habits of successful CEOs, some of those habits have been found to remain constant. If you desire to be successful, you would have to keep this list close at all times and ensure its effective application.

Here are the top 7 habits of successful CEOs

They are deliberate

Human nature is like raw material, being deliberate is what creates pattern and order. Becoming successful in a world full of distraction and information overload can be a very difficult task. Even more tasking as a CEO is trying to be everywhere at the same time to ensure that everything is done perfectly. successful CEOs adopt a deliberate life style in everything they do, they master the art of shutting out all distractions, keeping to time and adopting structures than ensure that things are done smoothly. They do not let themselves be driven by the waves of the world and life they make a deliberate effort to be in control and best manage their team and resources. Living life deliberately has created many successful CEOs today.

They plan

The objective of working is to be productive and not just being busy, for this to happen there must be a well thought out plan and intelligent focus accompanying the work that is being done. It is public knowledge that those who fail to plan, inevitably plan to fail, but those who plan and plan well will ultimately succeed. Great CEOs understand the value of planning, they plan their day, month,  year or even their decade, they set goals and work towards achieving those goals. For every successful CEO or product or project, there was a dream, then a well thought out plan put in place to bring that dream to fruition, and when the circumstances of that project changed new plans were made to accommodate the new circumstances. The importance of planning in achieving success can not be over emphasized, life normally tends towards chaos, it is only by working with a plan that we can make meaning and produce the desired results.

They take advantage of technology

Technology has its pros and cons, but it has undoubtedly revolutionized how problems are solved and made successful CEOs out of many people who were smart enough to tap into its infinite potential. Many people get into business by providing a product or service to other people, there has never been a time when it was easier to get products and services to people as it is today, with the aid of a world wide ecosystem of constantly evolving technology. Smart CEOs know this, they are always in the market for new technologies that have helped make their businesses more efficient, help them communicate with the customers and partners and produce goods and services faster and cheaper and safer.

Successful CEOs are always developing and adopting new technologies that add value, increase security, reduce cost and create more wealth for their companies. With the business world and finance hinged on a structure of technology using it as efficiently as possible in any business is a sure road to success.

They wake up early

“Wake up early”, it’s like the song of every successful CEO today. Even after you are successful, wake up early and go to bed early. The most productive hours of the day for most people are early mornings after a good night’s rest, when their brain and body have been rested and are operating at optimal capacity. waking up early is one of the oldest rules in the book of success, many successful CEOs today wake up as early as 4:30 am, complete their routines and get most of their work out of the way before their competition wakes up.

They constantly stay ahead of time by maximizing the early morning hours when most  people are still sleeping. Waking up early however means going to bed early and avoiding distractions that tend to keep people up till late at night, waking up early also does not stop you from taking a deliberate nap during the day to rejuvenate.

They are dedicated readers

Knowledge, as we all know is the seed from which all things are created, knowledge is power, knowledge is what keeps you ahead of the game at all times. In a world where many people are too lazy to keep themselves informed by reading, it is no surprise that those who have taken up this habit of constantly reading books, listening to audios and watching videos that add value to their lives and businesses, have found success.

Every successful CEO started and became successful by acquiring knowledge to create and they have continued in that success by constantly keeping themselves refreshed. The CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world uses reading to learn about new topics and to keep himself informed, he reads every night.

They inspire people

All successful CEOs today were able to accomplish their success because they made people believe in them, they inspired people and identified with people who shared their dreams and worked with them to achieve those dreams. They learnt the art of identifying, recruiting and keeping intelligent and productive people who have continued to bring value wealth and success to their ventures.

They have a defined routine

Just as brushing your teeth every night before you go to bed keeps your teeth healthy or working out at least 2 times a week keeps your body and mind in shape. Our life’s Outcome is a product of our routine. The power of the routine has helped many CEOs achieve and maintain great success. They have identified routines that are most likely to produce successful outcomes and tested these routines on themselves and their businesses, and where they found out that these routines worked, they adopted them and kept fine tuning them to achieve their goals.

Many successful CEOs have shared their daily routine and associated it with their success. Their routines almost always include, waking up early, working out, meditation, reading, developing new ideas, setting goals, making plans and sticking to them.

The road to success for many great CEOs today was not without its challenges, but one thing remains constant, they all picked up and stuck to habits that gave them a better chance at success, and helped them overcome the challenges that come in every business. They refused to give up when they were hit by setbacks. They refused to be distracted and stayed focused on their goals with religious dedication. 

There has never been more evidence to the statement that “our habits ultimately determine the outcome of our lives”. Any one who wants to become a successful CEO must understand the importance of adopting these habits and adhere to them like their success depends on it. Because it does.