David Van Hoesen Shares the Habits of a Successful CEO
CEOs have demanding jobs and need to hold themselves to the highest standards of integrity, intelligence, and interpersonal skills. David Van Hoesen, the founder and CEO of Alpha Building & Construction, examines the top 7 habits of a successful CEO and relates how people in this position can use these habits to enhance their work and personal lives.
1. Check Email Once a Day
One of the most important habits of the successful CEO is something that seems simple but is difficult to put into practice in today’s fast-paced business world. It is best to check emails only once per day. This keeps emails from bleeding over into other tasks and keeps the task confined to a selected hour each day.
If your assistant has time to deal with your emails, that is even better. He or she can divert emails that are not relevant and present you with the ones that actually make a difference.
2. Treat Your Company Like a Team
Approach management through sports metaphors. Your company is like a team and you are the head coach. Setting goals is a path to success. Treat your employees like human beings and appreciate the unique skills they bring to the table.
Think of business goals like championships and celebrate your employees when they have done a lot for the team. Keeping adversarial relationships out of the workplace will help your team be happier and more productive.
3. Block Out Busy Time
There are so many distractions in the modern workplace, it can be hard to focus on your job as CEO. It is a smart move to put blocks of uninterrupted time in your calendar so that your assistant can see that you are busy and can’t be disturbed unless it is a real emergency. If your office has too many meetings, try to combine these and delegate them to others if at all possible.
4. Watch Your Manners
Some CEOs may use their high position as an excuse to mistreat people, but these executives will only make their work lives harder for everyone around them. Be sure that you are kind and humble. Show compassion to your employees. Also, be sure that you have good manners with external partners. Make sure to write thank-you notes and make calls to show how much you appreciate the people who help you succeed.
5. Care for Yourself
All too often, CEOs allow the pressure of their jobs to lead them to unhealthy habits. They often rely on caffeine to wake them up and alcohol to relax at night. It is smart to make sure you are living healthy. It also pays to have a solid self-care routine. This may include small things like spending time with your children to larger things like practicing meditation. Self-care will help you become more relaxed and more productive at the office.
6. Trust Your Employees
Hire carefully so that you can trust your employees to handle the jobs you have delegated to them. Your leadership team is a key factor in your company’s success. If these people are not fully on board with your company’s mission, you may have a difficult time meeting your goals.
7. Set Limits to Preserve Family Time
Most CEOs work punishing hours. It is easy to let your family relationships slide in favor of spending more time at work. Later on, these people will regret not spending time with their families, but they will never regret spending less time at the office.
Take the opportunity to be with your children while they are young, enjoying one-on-one time and attending their school and sports events whenever you can. Children know when your attention is divided, and they will appreciate having your sole attention for a little while each day.
Successful Habits
David Van Hoesen presents an example of how executives can structure their days using good habits. When CEOs pay attention to how their daily lives are arranged, they can make positive changes and increase their efficiency as well as their work-life balance.