Featured article by Dave Ferguson in Forbes Coaches Council. Reprinted by permission.

Think of success as a muscle. It must be conditioned to perform at peak levels. The habits you adopt affect how your success strengthens and grows. On the flip side, your habits can diminish your success because they play a significant role in how you feel and approach the day.

In essence, successful leaders are those who consistently practice successful habits.

What are these habits? (Hint: None of them require a complete life makeover.)

• Successful leaders read constantly.

This should come as no surprise. Making reading a priority means you are prioritizing your education. Successful leaders always seek ways they can improve themselves. They look to other leaders for advice and inspiration.

Even reading your choice of self-indulgent fiction has been shown to increase creativity, a tool that is essential for staying relevant and innovative in today’s crowded business space.

• Successful leaders make goals and consistently reassess those goals.

This should be obvious, yet many leaders fail to set clear goals. If you are going to pull long hours and devote your life to a company or product, you should do so with a goal in mind: an idea of where you want to land.

• Successful leaders celebrate the milestones they reach and question what’s keeping them from reaching others.

Their goals are focused and few. The fewer direct goals you have, the more focus you can put toward achieving them.

• Successful leaders build positive relationships.

You are who you associate with. Do you tend to collaborate with others who are positive and motivated? Or do you find yourself in toxic environments?

You should never be the smartest person in the room. If you find that this has become the case, it’s time to expand your network. Form positive connections with people by showing genuine interest in your interaction, rather than an “out-for-yourself” attitude. In the same breath, be sure to limit your exposure to toxic people.

• Successful leaders practice generosity.

Generosity is at the heart of most success stories. Generosity is about being willing to give of yourself to serve others.

Yes, generosity is an investment. But the payoff is huge. Take mentorship, for example. This is a relationship built on generosity — on giving advice and sharing valuable insights. You are giving back to the broader industry by helping to groom someone who will succeed, innovate, and positively change the field. What you give you are bound to receive back in rewarding ways.

• Successful leaders allow for “me” time.

These leaders understand they have only 24 hours each day and are not so selfless as to give it all to someone else. Time is valuable. Successful leaders are aware of how and who they invest their time in.

By taking time for yourself — to clear your head, brainstorm, organize your desk — you are recognizing yourself as an asset. You cannot contribute fully if you are running on empty.

• Successful leaders spend time with people who inspire them.

This includes their own teams. They stay connected with what is happening with their employees. It is important to reconnect with the day-to-day details of your company to keep your focus sharp on why your business exists in the first place: your customer. This does not mean, however, you need to stand over people’s shoulders or micromanage. You’ve built a team you can trust. Trust them.

• Successful leaders are not shy about collaborating with diverse audiences.

In fact, they seek out experts in other fields through reading, interaction and research. They are quick to pour their skills into the lives of others without expecting an immediate return on investment.

How do you stack up against the most successful leaders in your industry?

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.