1. You count the numbers each day. Wait, isn’t this like Scrooge McDuck at Christmas? Not really. Everyone at your company wants you to the one watching the money and keeping the business afloat. They are not simply working for you for the free food and fun times on Friday. Track your finances and monitor cash flow every day!
  2. You never get angry. Good leaders know how to control their emotions. Anger never accomplishes anything, it just creates fearful employees who don’t want to work hard, achieve greatness, or keep you informed.
  3. You praise one person each day. The best entrepreneurs practice the art of daily praise. This motivates the employees and builds morale. Without praise, no one will really own the work they do. Having pride in their performance will produce higher quality work, commitment and happy employees which deliver awesome customer experiences.
  4. You are not afraid to confront and correct. Praising too often is also not a good approach, because there are times when you need to correct performance. Don’t shirk that responsibility. Counsel and correct performance issues quickly and move on.
  5. You never feed your own ego. Building a company is not an excuse in feeding your own ego. Avoid making matter so personal that the success or failure of a company is about your own achievements.
  6. You look for minor improvements. As a daily practice, look for ways to improve performance and processes not only in your own daily work, but also in the work of others. The small changes you make will lead to major success.
  7. You listen to feedback from staff. Good leaders seek out feedback. Why? Because that’s how you improve and lead more effectively, which leads to more growth and success.
  8. You work out daily. Without a daily regime to tune your body, mind and soul you begin to run on your own adrenaline which eventually gets depleted. You just can’t lead a successful company unless you learn the discipline of daily exercise. This may come in the form of going to the gym, practicing mediation or working out your mind completing a daily crossword or Sudoku. Successful entrepreneurs realize they need a daily break from their business so they can return refreshed and renewed to tackle the day’s challenges.
  9. You are unoffendable. Offense takes time. You create thought patterns through dwelling on how you’ve been offended, and then think about how that person is “on your list”. Don’t even keep a list. Operate without ever being offended and you will be free to lead more effectively.
  10. You defend your employees. Ironically, while you shouldn’t take offense when someone makes a sarcastic jab, you should jump in and defend your employees. This is particularly important in a small company, since a negative comment or criticism can lead to poor work performance.
  11. You seek out mentoring. No company has ever been built without the main leader seeking advice. It just doesn’t happen. No one can be all-knowing on every topic. Seek out a good mentor. Grow in knowledge, and you will learn how to grow your company.
  12. You seek out someone to mentor. When you pour out what you know, you essentially educate someone and motivate that person to Excel. You are spreading the knowledge. That creates bigger, better companies in the long run because you won’t be doing all of the hard work on your own.
  13. You use data to make decisions. Data is there to help you. Use it to Excel in your job and grow the company. You can make better decisions, and it will catch on with everyone around you. Snap judgments can kill growth.
  14. You gather data, but sometimes go with your hunch. At the same time, don’t let yourself get too bogged down with information. There are times when it’s okay to collect the data, analyze the findings, and then make a decision based on what you think is the best course of action. Call it a hunch or educated spur of the moment decision.
  15. You’re always open to press coverage. Few companies besides Apple can thrive without press coverage. There may be times when you have to keep things quiet, but find a way to get your company more known in the marketplace. Good press coverage is one way to seek legitimacy.
  16. You have patience about product development. Product development takes time. It’s important to build the best product possible, whether its software, hardware, or some other gizmo. You don’t take shortcuts. When the product is ready enough to your high standards, get it to market quickly.
  17. You don’t ignore the competition. Like a runner who is focused on winning a race, be sure to keep your eye on the goal at the same time, it’s okay to be aware of who is sneaking up behind you.
  18. You smile at adversity. When problems arise in your company, make sure you are prepared for setbacks, and even welcome them. Embrace them. Use adversity as a motivator in a way to push forward.
  19. You see failure as a lesson. Speaking of adversity, it’s also okay to embrace failure. There are some amazing lessons to learn, and no company grows to become a great organization unless they learn from failure and then keep changing, developing and growing.
  20. You wake up each morning asking how YOU can change. A great leader knows how to look in the bearer and make changes. If you want to lead a company to greatness, you have to adapt and change.
  21. You set work aside in the evening. We were not designed to work 14 to 16 hours per day. We all need breaks. It’s okay to set the phone down after 5 PM and start fresh in the morning. Work can wait until you’re rested.
  22. You put family first. Family is incredibly important to your success. Otherwise, you would be a moneymaking machine with no soul and no real motivation. Make sure you put your family first. That creates a richness to life in a purpose beyond anything a new car or yacht could offer.
  23. You pick one thing a day to help with stress. In the midst of massive growth, there will be stress. Figure out how to deal with that mental state early on. Is it taking a quick walk around the building or a drive to burn off steam or even a quick game on your compute… Whatever works for you, do it.
  24. You finish one task each morning. A company grows one step at a time. Start each morning by completing one of those steps. Is it creating a report or interviewing a potential candidate for a critical potion? Get it done right away to help you develop a pattern for the day.
  25. You don’t finish every task on your list. Here’s the irony of task lists; you should never complete every item, because that’s often not a sign of good productivity. It’s just a sign that you don’t understand how to prioritize. Some tasks can definitely wait for another day.
  26. You invest in relationships. Every good salesperson knows the key to selling a product is building a relationship. That way, you learn the needs of the customer. The same is true in leading a starter. You have to get to know your employees, hang out with them, learn their likes and dislikes. You can’t lead strangers.
  27. You know when to be a shark. There are times when you need to jump on a problem, attack it, and lead the company with pure conviction and perseverance. That’s okay for time, but don’t be the angry shark who attacks everyone and anyone. Leave that to the guys on television.
  28. You have downtime. The most amazing leaders in history knew how to get downtime. They perfected the art of relaxation, and then pushed forward to achieve great things. If you are constantly running low on steam, you will be able to build agree, long-lasting business.
  29. You spend company money like it’s your money. It’s simple lesson, but you’d be surprised how many entrepreneurs don’t practice this basic idea. Think of every dollar you spend is a way to either deplete resources or advance the company.
  30. You don’t judge. Judging others is an easy way to kill momentum in a company. No one likes to work with someone who is constantly criticizing others. Be intentional about praising, give feedback as precisely and quickly as possible, but otherwise have an attitude of empowerment.