Getting up early is a no brainer for most executives.It means being awake during a part of the day when there are few distractions. It means reacting to the biggest news of the day while others are dreaming. And in the evening you have the option to work late too — or to get to sleep early while others are partying and watching TV.
From Jack Dorsey to Indra Nooyi, this is habit is common to tons of famous leaders.
Whether they were born early risers or learned good sleep habits, these people know how to seize the day.
GE CEO Jeff Immelt
Immelt told Fortune that he gets up at 5:30 in the morning every day for a cardio workout, during which he reads the papers and watches CNBC. He claims to have worked 100 hour weeks for 24 straight years.
Xerox CEO Ursula Burns
AP Images
Burns uses early morning hours to get caught up on emails, getting up at 5:15 and sometimes working until midnight, according to Yahoo Finance.
She also uses the time to fit in a workout, according to Laura Vanderkam's "What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast," Burns schedules an hour of personal training at 6:00 A.M. twice a week.
Fiat and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne
Marchionne wakes up at 3:30 in the morning to deal with the European market, according to a 60 Minutes profile on his turnaround of Chrysler.
Referring to his schedule and work ethic, one exec is quoted in the FT as saying "Sergio invented an eighth day and we work it." In that 60 Minutes special, another exec said "When it was a holiday in Italy he'd come to America to work. When it's a holiday in America he goes to Italy to work."
PIMCO Co-founder Bill Gross
Runnning the world's largest bond fund in the world from California, pretty much guarantees early mornings. According to Fortune, Gross wakes up at 4:30 in the morning to check out the markets, and gets into the office by 6.
Square CEO Jack Dorsey
Dorsey described his morning routine to New York Magazine, revealing that he wakes up at 5:30 in the morning to meditate and go for a six mile jog.
He kept up that routine during a period where he shuttled back and forth between Square and Twitter, spending around 8 hours a day at both companies.
Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Group
In an interview with Business Insider's Aly Weisman, Branson revealed that he wakes up at around 5:45 in the morning, even when staying at his private island, leaving the curtains drawn so the sun gets him up.
He does his best to use those early hours to exercise before an early breakfast and getting to work.
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi
Nooyi wakes up as early as 4:00 A.M., telling Fortune that "They say sleep is a gift that God gives you ....that's one gift I was never given."
In a speakers series at Pepsi, she revealed that she's at work every day by no later than 7.
General Motors' CEO Dan Akerson
GM website
Akerson told the AP he will "rarely sleep past 4:30 or 5," waking up so he can talk to GM Asia before it gets too late. He calls it the best job he's ever had: "It's complex and interesting and exciting."
But the stress gets to him too, leading to "a lot of sleepless nights."
Virgin America CEO David Cush
Getty Images
Cush described his morning routine to the AP: Wakes up at 4:15 a.m., sends emails, calls business associates on the East Coast, and that's before listening to Dallas sports radio, reading the paper and hitting the bike at the gym.
Apple CEO Tim Cook
Cook is known for getting up and sending out company emails at 4:30 in the morning, according to Gawker's Ryan Tate. By 5 AM he can be found in the gym. And he works late too, priding himself on being the first in the office and the last out.
Click here to arrange for Jim to speak to or consult with your organization. On Twitter Jim is @hyperinnovation and @innothinkgroup
For over 25 years Jim Woods has helped organizations and individuals achieve their goals, maximize their effectiveness, become more productive, develop confidence, and overcome the fears holding them back. Click here to schedule an appointment.
No comments:
Post a Comment