Executing a plan requires more than approval, as you need to ensure you have the budget, personal commitments and the expertise to complete each step, writes Diana Peterson-More. She cites a proposal to create training videos for incoming employees that failed because "no one on the team was capable of creating the videos, nor did anyone work in the company's library."

Leaders who foster growth make it a priority in mindset and resources, aren't afraid to fail and are constantly telling stories about times of growth, according to research from McKinsey. "Growth leaders make growth the central focus of everyone in the business by creating a common belief and language" around stories and metrics, the authors write.

Motion can be engaging, whether it's videos in your slides and or moving yourself around the stage, writes Amy Boone. "Standing behind a lectern or using boring, stationary slides won't engage an audience who has adapted to a world in motion," she writes.

Conduct a "15-minute checkout" at the end of the day to help you assess what you accomplished, what needs to done right now and what's left on your list, writes Charlie Gilkey. "It's a simple routine that, done consistently, will empower you to reject the everything-is-a-priority mindset so prevalent in today's workplace," he argues.

Many of us embrace being busy and the stress that causes, but it's also stressful to try to immediately change your habits and redesign your life, says Garland Vance. "Before you can envision the life you want to live, you have to deconstruct Inhibiting Beliefs, Bad Habits, and (un)Wanted Commitments from your life," he says.

When Box CEO Aaron Levie makes a hire, he's always looking for a "high degree of humility" because ego is the last thing businesses need getting in the way of growth. "We're going to deal with a lot of challenges, and if we have people who are going to mask those challenges, or not be able to actually address them because they're just over-confident or have too much ego, we can never succeed as a business," he says.

A study of 37 male triathletes suggests that an excessive amount of training may benefit the body but adversely affects the brain's ability to make decisions. Brain scans showed lower activity in areas associated with decision-making, with the overtrained athletes more susceptible to seeking instant gratification over long-term gain.