The
most-successful leaders often do things their own way. Maybe you should too.
Over
the years, I've read far more books on leadership than I can count.
To
be honest, most of these books stick with a tried-and-true formula that doesn't
stray too far outside the norm.
For
example, pick up any book on leadership, and you're sure to read about
empowerment and teamwork and inspiring creativity.
But
guess what? Highly successful leaders don't always stick with the advice repeated
over and over again in these leadership books.
In
fact, they often have their own weird habits that help them get things done.
Here
are some of the most interesting.
1.
Mark Zuckerberg: yearly resolutions
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sets
tests of discipline for himself each year.
In
2009 his challenge was to wear a tie to work each day, and in 2011 it was to
personally kill any animal he ate.
This
year's challenge is to read a new book every two weeks.
2.
Steve Jobs: foodie
Steve Jobs was famous for eating only one type of food for
weeks at a time.
He
once became so convinced of the virtues of eating carrots that his skin was
reported to have turned orange from eating so many of them in a short period of
time.
3.
Marissa Mayer: micromanager
Marissa
Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, is reported to personally approve every new hire in her
company of more than 12,500 employees.
4.
Mark Parker: brain balancer
Nike
CEO Mark Parker has a notebook that he uses to keep the two sides of his brain
balanced.
While
one page in the notebook is devoted to business brainstorming, the opposite
page is used for sketches.
5.
Donald Trump: germophobe
According
to reports, real estate developer Donald Trump has a phobia for germs.
He
avoids shaking hands with the people he meets, he will not touch an elevator
button, and he once passed out bottles of hand sanitizer to reporters at a
press conference.
6.
Bill Gates: rocker
Former
Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was known for rocking in his chair during business
meetings. The more excited he was (in a good or bad way), the more he rocked.
7.
Jeff Bezos: memo writer
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos requires senior executives to draft
six-page memos in advance of meetings.
These
memos are then read in silence during the first 30 minutes of every senior
executive meeting.
8.
Henry Ford: weed eater
Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford reportedly
savored sandwiches made from "roadside greens"-weeds grown in his
yard.
9.
Martha Stewart: demanding boss
Martha
Stewart is reported to allow only red or black ink to be used in her offices,
and that employee desks be completely clear at the end of each business day.
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