Five Habits Of The World’s Most Creative Leaders

Award-winning author Walter Isaacson says he’s often asked who, of today’s contemporary leaders, would he place in the same category of his historical subjects: Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs.

Isaacson’s answer? Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

“They were all very smart, but that’s not what made them special,” says Isaacson. “What counts is being creative and imaginative. That’s what makes someone a true innovator.”

Isaacson’s observation inspired me to include a chapter on creativity in my new book, The Bezos Blueprint. Creativity is an essential ingredient of innovation, leadership, and communication, but breakthrough ideas don’t appear on demand. Instead, creativity requires the right conditions to flourish.

Bezos and many other creative leaders have cultivated five habits to be their creative best.

1. Get enough sleep

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos tries to get 8 hours of sleep a night. You can only make a few high-quality decisions a day, argues Bezos, so give yourself the energy to make them count.

Some entrepreneurs make a show of how little sleep they get, implying that people who need more sleep are lazy or don’t have enough hustle to be successful. Storytelling experts realize that these anecdotes are just that—narratives that make for a good story.

While it’s true that a few outliers get by on four hours of sleep, the empirical data proves that – for most people—getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night leads to a sharper mind and better decision-making.

2. Stay active

Our ancestors walked—a lot. According to University of Washington molecular biologist John Medina, the human brain evolved from our evolutionary ancestors who walked up to twelve miles a day. That means we learn and think better when we’re active or in motion.

Many creative entrepreneurs are constantly in motion. For example, Steve Jobs was famous for taking walks with people to brainstorm new ideas. So whether you’re working at home or in the office, step away from your desk from time to time. Motion might spark your best ideas.

3. Let your passions choose you

When Jeff Bezos was five years old, he watched Neil Armstrong step foot on the moon. It triggered a life-long passion for exploring space. Recalling that event, Bezos said, “You don’t choose your passions. Your passions choose you.”

According to Bezos, the key is to be alert for opportunities when your passion and talents intersect. Bezos is articulating a very different approach than the standard advice to “find your passion.”

When it comes to finding purpose and passion in your career, stop chasing and start listening.

4. Be a learn-it-all and not a know-it-all

Bezos is a voracious reader, a habit he shares with many successful leaders, from billionaire Warren Buffett to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Nadella says there are two types of people: know-it-alls and learn-it-alls. He argues the latter are in a stronger position to have successful careers. His observation echoes one of Amazon’s leadership principles: Learn and Be Curious. Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves.

The moment you stop learning, you stop growing.

5. Cultivate a limitless mindset

Successful people are dreamers and doers who are dissatisfied with the status quo. Bezos says the world wants you to be typical in a thousand ways. “Don’t let it happen,” he advises.

It’s easy to be like everybody else, to be typical and stick with the status quo. But most creative leaders are successful because they see a problem in need of a solution. The problems often come in the form of personal frustrations. For example, when an airline canceled a trip to the British Virgin Islands, a passenger named Richard Branson felt the frustration of not being able to see his girlfriend who was waiting for him. He asked the other passengers if they would chip-in to charter a plane. They reached their destination on time.

Branson had no experience in the airline industry but decided to start one anyway. That’s a limitless mindset.

You might not have the contacts, money, or experience to accomplish your goals today, but taking small steps in the direction of your dreams will bring you closer with each day. The only limits that will get in your way are the ones you impose on yourself.

“The idea of going to the moon was so impossible that people actually used it as a metaphor for impossibility,” Bezos once wrote. “What I hope you take away from that is that anything you set your mind to, you can do.”