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Up at 5 a.m. five times a week with naps on the weekends.
A 60 – minute “holy hour” once I’m up, for self – development and personal reflection.
Five big – time workouts a week.
A 90 – minute massage every seven days.
A world – class diet. (But I eat one to two desserts every week – life isn’t meant to be too strict; and
if I ever see “flourless chocolate cake” on a menu, I order it.)
A period of journaling most days. Journaling builds self – awareness. I also use my journal to write
daily goals, plan and record what I’m grateful for, and capture and process new ideas along with
lessons learned.
A period of reading each day (from Harvard Business Review to Travel and Leisure to Dwell and
good books).
Affirmations or what I call Success Statements throughout the day – especially in the shower.
These keep my thoughts locked on what’s most important – and thoughts are the ancestors of
actions. Right thinking drives right action.
A weekly planning session. I also review my goals here. Usually I do it Sunday morning.
At least one conversation with an interesting person each week to keep my passion high and to
surround myself with bug ideas. A single conversation can change your life. In an issue of
Business 2.0, management consultant Jim Collins revealed that one idea, shared in 30 seconds by
a mentor, transformed him.
This very day can be the first day
Of your new life. It’s all your choice.
I have more but these are my best personal practices, the ones that bring out my highest. Pick the
ones that resonate with you. Discard the ones that you disagree with. Just find what works for the way you
live. Then act on them today. This very day can be the first day of your new life. It’s all your choice.
28.
Culture Is King
At a leadership training program I recently gave for a group of high – tech managers, a distinguished –
looking man came up to me at the break and shared: “I love what you said about the need fro each one of
us to develop a leadership culture within our organizations. At our company, one of our top priorities is to
work on our culture. We talk about it all the time. Last year, our company grew 600%. Our focus on culture
– building worked splendidly.” Impressive.
As I’ve suggested earlier, one of your most suitable competitive advantages will be developing a
Culture of Leadership. When clients engaged Sharma Leadership International for organizational
development and employee training, one of the first areas we focus on is developing the company’s culture
– because all performance is driven by the culture. Your competitors will copy your products if they are
good. They will copy your services. They will copy your branding. But they will never be able to copy your
culture. And your culture is the very thing that makes your organization special. Your organization’s culture
is what sets – and then drives – the standards of behavior. Your culture tells your people what’s acceptable
and important. Your culture lets people know what your organization values (e.g., honesty, innovation,