Bachman Turner Overdrive had a very substantial hit record in the 1970s titled “Taking Care of Business”. The opening line to that song, ‘You get up every morning, From your ‘alarm clock’s warning, take the 8:15 into the city.” This week’s blog will focus on only one idea to capture a behavior great leaders demonstrate with consistent regularity…

They get up early.Clock_256

Note: If you are working adults with young children, please ignore the rest of this article, as you have already established your workable routine that allows you to balance your work and family life.

Every week articles are broadcast over the Internet and business journals trying to express the key principles adopted by great leaders to help others understand the secrets of success. In each of these teachings, the notion of getting out of bed just a little earlier consistently makes the leader’s list.

Painful clichés like’ “early to bed early to rise”, “the early bird gets the worm” and my favourite from John Paul Getty, “Rise early, work hard, strike oil!” have a similar theme.

The truth is the great leaders rationalize their reasons for this important habit as you can read about here. This link has twenty-nine people with great insights into the value of this early morning strategy. Because my assumption is that you are busy, and some forgot to set my alarm this morning, I will capture three key themes from this document, which might even allow you to nap this afternoon.

Theme 1. Prepared

Many of the twenty-nine people speak in the work benefits of early rising. Emails done, papers read, day is planned and an invigorating feeling of feeling more prepared than their competition.

Theme 2. Health Benefits

Many leaders share the idea of early physical activity leads to a better day. Working out, walking the dog, making meals, healthy slow breakfasts and other uses of pre-dawn time contribute to a feeling of wellness.

 Theme 3. Early Happiness 

The final theme these great leaders share is a sense of excitement and exhilaration to greet each day. Listening to music, making breakfast for your spouse, reflecting on the day and again just knowing doing stuff earlier seems to alleviate any morning stress.

Beyond the three themes here, advocating breakfast meetings, awareness of their “morning person” mentality and the fact their global position allows more flexing to other international early risers.

This is all very nice, and helpful, however most of us need a little more encouragement to drastically modify waking patterns. My colleague Ann Gomez, claims I am pre-punctual. I am not fashionably late but unfashionably early for appointments.

To make this suggestion of getting up earlier a little more palatable, I will share predictions of benefits I have learned by setting my alarm just a tad earlier than most.

  1. Every fifteen minutes delay of my highway travelling equals thirty minutes more of traffic.
  2. It takes me less time to get to any task if I am already caffeinated.
  3. I am smarter in the morning.

Let me end by a slight change in BTO’s message: Take care of your business – just take care of it earlier.