Nobody's perfect. Even super-successful people like Stewart Butterfield, the cofounder of Flickr and chief executive of Slack, have weaknesses.

The 42-year-old Canadian-born entrepreneur recently told Adam Bryant of The New York Times what he's not good at when it comes to being a boss.

"I can tell people a story that they believe in and get behind. So I'm good at the leadership part," Butterfield said. "But I've always said that I'm a terrible manager. I'm not good at giving feedback."

He continued: "People are like horses — they can smell fear. If you have a lot of apprehension going into a difficult conversation, they'll pick up on that. And that's going to make them nervous, and then the whole conversation is more difficult."

But, he said, if you go into those conversations without any apprehension, people feel at ease. "I've tried to absorb that lesson. I'm not able to practice it 100% of the time, but it's definitely something I've learned," he told Bryant.

He may have things to work on — but for the most part, Butterfield seems to be getting things right.

Slack is one of the fastest-growing business apps of all time, now worth an estimated $2.8 billion — and Butterfield recently graced the cover of Forbes magazine.

Click here to read the full New York Times interview. 

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She's the most successful self-made female billionaire in the world, and comparatively few people have ever heard of her.

Meet Zhou Qunfei, school dropout (by economic necessity), former factory worker — and founder and CEO of Lens Technologies, the world's leading manufacturer of touch screens for companies like Apple and Samsung.

Zhou, 45, who grew up in a tiny village in China, lost her mother at age 5. Her father was nearly blind after an industrial accident. She dropped out of school at age 16, rose through the ranks at work, and ultimately launched her own glass-refining company, which went public earlier this year.

Zhou has a pretty low profile for a woman with a fortune estimated at between $7 billion and $10 billion, but she was profiled recently in both The South China Morning Post and The New York Times.

Here are some of the keys to her success.

1. She refused to accept less than she wanted.

Zhou did well in school, but she had little choice but to set aside her dreams of becoming a fashion designer. Instead, she dropped out at age 16, to go to work in a factory, "making watch lenses for about $1 a day," according to the Times. It was hard work:

I worked from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m., and sometimes until 2 a.m. There were no shifts, just a few dozen people, and we all polished glass. I didn't enjoy it.

Despite the fact that she needed the work and that there were many others lining up to replace her, Zhou wrote to her boss after only three months, thanking him for the opportunity but saying it wasn't enough for her. Instead of letting her go, her boss promoted her. This brave move turned out to be step one on her long road to immense wealth.

2. She thoroughly understood her business.

Because she'd started on the factory floor and risen through the ranks at her first employer, Zhou thoroughly understood every step of the lens-manufacturing process before she launched her own company. Even now, with a work force reported at between 60,000 and 80,000 employees, she's known for walking through her factories and paying close attention to process.

"She'll sometimes sit down and work as an operator to see if there's anything wrong with the process," one of her general managers told the Times. "That will put me in a very awkward position. If there's a problem, she'll say, 'Why didn't you see that?'"

3. She bet on herself again and again.

Zhou left her factory job to launch her own manufacturing firm with a total of $3,000 that she and relatives had saved. This was the first of 11 business she started, according to the SCMP, most of which ultimately failed.

"Twice I had to sell my house to pay my employees' salary," she said.

In fact, it wasn't until 2003 that she had the opportunity to really make her company successful, which leads us to —

4. She said yes to opportunity.

Zhou's expertise was in manufacturing glass lenses for watches, but it was the rise of the newest generations of smart phones that really enabled her success. In 2003, she was contacted by executives from a major mobile phone company, asking whether she'd be willing to retool her company to make screens for phones.

(The timing on this is a actually a little unclear; the Times says it was Motorola in 2003; the SCMP says it was China's TCL Corporation in 2001. Regardless, Zhou jumped at the chance.)

"I got this call, and they said, 'Just answer yes or no, and if the answer's yes, we'll help you set up the process,'" the Times quoted her as saying. "I said yes."

5. She worked incredibly hard.

There's a saying in the Hunan dialect that describes Zhou, her cousin (who serves on her company's board) told the Times: ba de man. It means "a person who dares to do what others are afraid to do."

Yet Zhou apparently demonstrates a rare combination of initiative and diligence. The Times described her work habits as "lean[ing] toward the obsessive."

Her company's headquarters is at one of her manufacturing plants in Changsha. In her spacious office, a door behind her desk opens into a small apartment, ensuring she can roam the factory floor day or night.

6. She maintains balance and humility.

Despite her great fortune and success, the Times described her as exuding both "charm and humility," remaining silent during meetings, but commanding attention when she does speak up, and admonishing a subordinate for failing to sit up straight during one meeting.

"I'm not qualified to be a high-profile person," she was quoted as saying in the SCMP. "I think it's important not to get carried away when you are successful — and not to let yourself feel gloomy when times are bad."

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When Evernote's founding CEO and current chairman Phil Libin started his productivity app company with cofounder Stepan Pachikov in 2007, he began seeking out mentorship from some of the biggest names in tech, like Amazon's Jeff Bezos and LinkedIn's Reid Hoffman.

They were generous with their time and remain role models to Libin, but it was Hiroshi Mikitani, founder and CEO of the multibillion-dollar e-commerce conglomerate Rakuten, who gave him perhaps the most readily actionable advice he's received as a manager, he tells "The 4-Hour Workweek" author Tim Ferriss on Ferriss' podcast.

Mikitani calls it "The Rule of 3 and 10": Every time a company triples in size, "everything breaks."

Mikitani grew Rakuten from the ground up, and today it has roughly 12,000 employees. He noticed that from one to three employees, from three to 10, from 300 to 1,000, etc. (the rule rounds up to multiples of 10 for ease of understanding), that everything stops working as it should.

"And by everything he means everything," Libin tells Ferriss. This includes how the company handles payroll, how managers schedule meetings, how teams communicate, how it budgets, and how its hierarchy is balanced.

The problem, Libin says, is that many CEOs of rapidly growing startups "blow right through these triplings without even realizing it."

Libin, using his own company as a hypothetical example, tells Ferriss: "We're at 400 people now at Evernote. And when I really think about it, it's like, OK, we're at 400 people now, but some of our processes and systems have been in place since we were 30 [people]. So we kind of skipped a few steps. And everything is creaky and broken, and you really have to try to adjust."

Regardless of where your company is in its life, being aware of the Rule of 3 and 10 is "super eye-opening," Libin tells Ferriss. "That's one of the most actionable pieces of advice I've gotten."

You can listen to the full episode at Ferriss' website or iTunes.

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Setting and achieving goals can feel extremely overwhelming — especially for recent college grads.

But there are ways to make the process less daunting.

Kevin E. Lofton, CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives, a nonprofit, faith-based health system, has a trick.

When Adam Bryant of The New York Times recently interviewed Lofton, he asked: "What kind of advice do you give to new college grads?" 

Lofton told Bryant he gives many talks to students and almost always closes by telling them this:

"Take a blank sheet of paper and an envelope, write down a goal of something that they want to do over the coming year, then seal it. Nobody's ever going to see this except you, I tell them — it's not for your teachers; it's not for your parents; it's just for yourself."

Then a year later, he told Bryant, "you take it out and grade yourself on whether you worked toward that goal, and then you set a new goal for the next year."

Of course, this doesn't guarantee that you'll actually achieve the goal in the first year or two — but it can help keep you motivated enough to get there eventually. 

Lofton told Bryant that this exercise is really just to get 20-somethings in the habit of "looking at the things they need to work on, setting a personal goal, and then seeing how they've done against that goal."

He concluded: "I still do this myself every year."

Read the full New York Times interview here.

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Savannah Graybill, 27, was selected from more than 2,000 applicants to be the "Intern CEO for One Month" atAdecco Group North America, a human resources solutions provider that employs about 5,000 people. She is being paid $10,000 for the month. Here's what she experienced in week three on the job. (Read about week one here and week two here.) 

This week, Johnny Cash’s "I’ve Been Everywhere" has been running through my head— and for good reason. The past three weeks have been travel heavy, but it’s been amazing to experience and understand all of Adecco’s markets and brands.

After a busy weekend at home, I flew into New York City on Sunday night to prep for a jam-packed day on Monday in the Big Apple. I met Adecco Staffing Regional Vice President Tonya Lain bright and early to walk over to the Adecco New York City branch. After a warm welcome at the office, we hopped in a cab and headed to lunch with our client, Scholastic.

Following a quick lunch, Adecco Staffing Senior Vice President Lauren Griffin joined Tonya and I at client Ann Inc. for a tour of their facilities and for several meetings. Did you know that Ann Inc. (home of brands Ann Taylor, LOFT, and Lou & Grey) has mock stores set up within their building full of the next season’s clothing?) The design team works in several seasons at once and takes great care in the appearance of their stores and clothing. Every detail, down to the folding of shirts and sweaters, is analyzed so that every store across the country is consistent.

After Ann Inc. we grabbed a cab toward the Empire State Building where LinkedIn is headquartered. We were given a fantastic tour of their facilities, which span several floors and even include a speak-easy. The folks over at LinkedIn are definitely the work-hard, play-hard types, and I had a great time getting a feel of the culture of their business. 

Because LinkedIn is based in the Empire State Building, they were able to give our group a tour of the building. We zipped up the elevators to the observation deck and were greeted by clear skies —the New York City skyline has never looked so lovely. It was definitely a great way to end the day.

After a great dinner at a restaurant near Times Square with several more executives, it was off to bed; I had a 4:30 am wake-up call the next morning.

As I anticipated, Tuesday morning came quickly and I was off to the airport to fly to Portland, Oregon. I met back up with Adecco Staffing President Joyce Russell and two other executives for an afternoon meeting with one of their clients. The turnaround was really quick, and I was back on a plane for the east coast 24 hours later.

A long plane ride later and I was back on the ground in Orlando, Florida, where I met up with Adecco CEO Bob Crouch and Adecco Chief Human Resources Officer Rich Thompson. On the schedule were leadership seminars with Soliant Health, one of Adecco Group’s healthcare recruiting businesses.

One of the most poignant parts of the first meeting was listening to Soliant President David Alexander speak about the theme of the week: enrichment.

Generally, when one thinks about enrichment they think about addition — fortifying something to make it better. However, as David pointed out, sometimes it’s about subtraction — removing something from the equation in order to move forward. In our lives, this could be fear or factors that limit us from achieving our goals. I thought this was a poignant concept and applicable no matter what one does for a living for where they work.

Next week marks the end of my time as CEO for One Month of Adecco Group North America. Stay tuned for my final week’s adventures, which include visits to Omaha, Nebraska, Dubuque, Iowa, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, to check out Modis and Entegee —two of Adecco Group’s IT recruiting business and engineering recruiting businesses.

Savannah Graybill is a graduate from American University (2010) with a degree in broadcast journalism. She is a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center and is training to compete for a spot in the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Follow her month-long journey on Twitter (@savannahjane1) and Instagram (@sgraybill25).

SEE ALSO: An intern who was named CEO of a 5,000-person company for a month shares what happened during a week on the job

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Many professionals credit their successes to someone else — a boss, a partner, or more commonly, a mentor.

And while yes, inspiration and guidance can be incredible motivators in one's career, mentors are not necessarily key.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Ryan Holmes, the CEO of Hootsuite, explains that amidst his success launching the comprehensive social media management app, he never found a mentor — and it never set him back or slowed him down. (In fact, he claims the search caused him a bit of unnecessary stress.)

"When I was a business major in college, everyone talked about how critical is was to find a good mentor, " he writes. "In the end, I found it almost stressful when I didn't end up finding one. I asked myself back then: Was I missing a important piece of the puzzle to my future success?"

When posed with the question of who inspired him in his career, Holmes instead chose to address the concept of self-motivation. He discussed the career of Markus Frind, PlentyofFish founder and CEO, who just sold his company for a cool $575 million — despite having "no investors, few friends in the industry and, as far as I know, zero mentors."

"Much like Frind, I've never had a single 'Mr. Miyagi-type' mentor to guide me," Holmes writes.

And he says that while career mentorship can be extremely beneficial (and definitely not something to shy away from), professionals shouldn't feel incomplete without someone to look up to, or turn to at the first sign of trouble.

If you don't have someone in your life who has inspired your every career move, don't feel disadvantaged. It just signifies you have the ability to self-start — and, ultimately, draw inspiration from a variety of people and outlets.

"We must be able to take in the variety of different ideas, opinions, and experiences we come across through our work and consolidate it all into our own valuable truths," Holmes writes in the LinkedIn post.

"My real point here is that the idea that we each need a single career guru to swoop in and solve all of our most important problems is a one-size-fits-all approach," he explains. "If you haven't found that perfect mentor, it's not necessarily a sign that you're on the wrong track or that your vision is doomed to fail ... It could just be that you don't need one, after all."

Read the full LinkedIn post here.

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While many executives are criticized for their excessive pay, some CEOs have been able to skirt around the issue by choosing to forgo a lofty salary and opting instead for a paycheck of $1 a year, or less.

Of course, this isn't to say these executives are living off the dollar menu.

The CEOs on this list are still worth millions, if not billions, but while some merely pay lip service to the $1 salary club by taking home hefty compensation in the form of company stock awards and bonuses, others forgo adding to their wealth in this way entirely.

"I've made enough money," said Mark Zuckerberg during a Q&A on Facebook in June. "At this point, I'm just focused on making sure I do the most possible good with what I have." Zuckerberg chooses to take home a $1 salary and declines stock awards and bonuses.

Here are some CEOs and other executives that belong to the $1 (or less) salary club:

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Larry Page and Sergey Brin

According to Google's annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Brin and Page, the company's cofounders asked that their base salaries each be reduced to $1 per year in 2004.

Since then, Google's compensation committee has offered them market-competitive salaries annually, which they continue to decline.

While they also forgo cash bonuses based on their individual and company performance and do not hold any stock options, Google stock units, or other contingent stock rights, Page is currently worth an estimated $34.9 billion and Brin is worth an estimated $34.3 billion.

Jack Dorsey

In a filing with the SEC in June, it was revealed that Twitter's interim CEO receives no compensation for his role. This is of little financial consequence to Dorsey, whose current estimated net worth comes in around $2.3 billion.

"At your request, you have agreed to forego any compensation for your role as Interim Chief Executive Officer until the Compensation Committee agree upon a compensation package for you at the same time that it conducts its annual assessment and setting of executive compensation later in the year. Until a compensation package is finalized, you will be entitled to no cash or equity compensation for your services as Interim Chief Executive Officer,"the document reads.

Larry Ellison

As in previous years, Oracle reported to the SEC that Ellison, now executive chairman and CTO, took home a salary of $1 in 2014.

Meanwhile, new co-CEOs Safra Catz and Mark Hurd, who took over in September, 2014, each took home a $950,000 salary last year in addition to other compensation.

So how does Ellison continue to add to his estimated $49.2 billion net worth? Compensation Ellison received last year included $65 million in stock option awards, $740,000 in non-equity compensation, and $1.5 million for other compensation, most of which went towards security-related costs for Ellison's home.

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The High Pay Centre's latest report on the pay of British CEOs is out, showing that the chief executives of FTSE 100 firms got paid 183 times what the average Briton did last year.

In the 2014 financial year, the average pay packet ran to £4.96 million ($8.22 million).

But many are paid much more than that — the HPC lists the top ten, most of whom took home between twice and ten times the average even for their peers.

The dollar salary amounts are converted using HMRC's average exchange rate figures for the 2014 financial year.

Take a look at who topped the tables last year.

10. Bob Dudley — £9.29 million ($15.39 million) — Dudley is entering his fifth year as CEO of BP, having been in charge of the Gulf Coast Restoration Organization after the Deepwater Horizon spill.

9. Don Robert — £9.87 million ($16.35 million) — Robert was CEO of Experian between 2007 and 2014, until his replacement by Brian Cassin.

8. Ian Gorham — £10.61 million ($17.57 million) Hargreaves Lansdown's share prices have more than doubled since Gorham took over the CEO's job in 2010.

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Employers always try to detect things like confidence, competence, and trustworthiness in candidates during the interview. But Don Charlton, founder and CEO of the software recruiting firm Jazz, says there's one other essential trait to look for that reveals a lot about the job seeker: self-awareness.

When asked, "How do you hire?" during a recent interview with Adam Bryant of the New York Times, Charlton responded: "One thing I’m trying to find out in an interview is whether the person is self-aware."

Charlton went on to say that while every job seeker is naturally inclined to emphasize their best qualities — an ability to acknowledge the bad, as well, is admirable and demonstrates to the employer that they're level-headed and thoughtful.

"Think about somebody who's applying for a job. It's actually a very arrogant thing to do," Charlton tells Bryant. "You are saying to the employer, in effect, that if they have one other candidate or 1,000 other candidates, you are the No. 1 person."

So in a sea of qualified job candidates all boasting about their best traits and hiding any unfavorable habits, it's imperative that employers know you're not delusional about your downfalls, but you also know you have what it takes to do the role well.

"You want the candidate to recognize the aspects of themselves where they can be confident and the parts they're going to need for them to be successful in a new company," he says. "If they gloss over the challenges of coming on board, then I worry that they haven't spent enough time thinking about the transition."

To decipher whether or not a candidate is self-aware, Charlton told Bryant he always asks the following question: "If you failed at this job in your first 90 days, what things wouldn’t you be doing well?"

The key isn't to respond with a laundry list of qualities that portray why you might be a bad fit — but instead to exhibit that you're aware of your less-than-exemplary habits, and how you're working to overcome them and preform well despite of them.

Read the full New York Times interview here.

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Business books are notorious for being loaded with MBA lard, trotting out "key takeaways" like "take risks,""build a great team," and "don't be afraid to fail." 

But the ones worth reading ditch the platitudes in favor of instructive anecdotes — which is why they so often come from execs who have lived through it. 

From the memoir of a former gang member to an analysis of the most efficient hiring methods, here are the best leadership books from people who have led their companies to success.

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'The Hard Thing About Hard Things'

What is the hard thing about hard things? That they don't have a formula, says Ben Horowitz.

"Hard things are hard because there are no easy answers or recipes," he writes. "They are hard because your emotions are at odds with your logic. They are hard because you don’t know the answer and you cannot ask for help without showing weakness." 

Horowitz, now one of the most sought-after investors in the game, used to be CEO of software management company Opsware before it was acquired by HP for $1.6 billion. 

Bonus: Horowitz shows off his ridiculously extensive knowledge of rap lyrics — quoting Kanye West and DMX before the close of the opening chapter. 

Buy it here >>

Disclosure: Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, is an investor in Business Insider.

'My Years with General Motors'

Alfred Sloan was the CEO of General Motors from 1923 to 1946 — when the car company was arguably the most important organization on Earth. 

More than your average business memoir, the book is a distillation of Sloan's experiences and thoughts around how to steer a massive organization. It serves as a treatise on decentralization and the structure of the modern corporation. 

Buy it here >>

'Rework'

Coauthored by Jason Fried, the cofounder and CEO of Basecamp, "Rework" is a spare startup manifesto. 

While everything in the book might not apply to you — Fried's company has remained at a tiny 37 members while staying profitable — it's useful for the contrarian mirror it provides. After reading it, you'll scrutinize every meeting request that crosses your desk. 

Buy it here >>

The working world can be a difficult place to navigate — especially for newcomers.

Landing a job is one thing, but figuring out how to prove yourself and get promoted in those first few years is an entirely different ball game.

The first hurdle for millennials is dispelling common misconceptions about their generation.

David Goldin, founder and CEO of Capify — the first alternative finance platform for small and medium-sized businesses in the US, UK, Australia and Canada — says more seasoned professionals tend to have some negative perceptions (most of which are misconceptions or generalizations) of millennials, such as: they aren’t motivated to do things on their own — they want everything to be done for them; they're not effective communicators; they don’t want to be coached, mentored, or managed; and they don't want to earn the promotion, they expect it to just be handed to them.

"The good news is, millennials are actually the most creative, entrepreneurial, and technologically savvy of all in the workforce," Goldin says. "They can be a tremendous asset to any growing organization, as long as they understand how to overcome these perceptions and help their managers unlock their potential."

Aside from working hard, here's how to disprove the millennial misconceptions and quickly secure a promotion in your 20s:

1. Accept that there are going to be "rules to the game." 

Goldin says that millennials shouldn't jump into a role and want to change every policy that they don't agree with. The established rules are in place for a reason, and it's up to the newcomers to learn the ropes of the company.

"Trust the process," advises Goldin. "And show you can focus on playing by the rules instead of fighting them."

2. Create your own goals at work and work hard to achieve them.

Millennials should proactively set goals for themselves, instead of waiting for others to give direction. Not only that, but it's imperative to show your boss reliability and progress before asking for additional responsibility.

"Think about what motivates you most — whether it's title, money, visibility within the organization — and set short and long term goals and hold yourself accountable to accomplishing them," Goldin says. "Show tangible results consistently before asking to take the next step."

3. Communicate effectively with your supervisor and more senior colleagues.

Goldin says that some seasoned professionals prefer in-person communication as opposed to virtual (which is what most millennials are accustomed to). Find out what their preference is. If they do like face-to-face, then instead of sending Slack messages or emails all day, go the extra mile and stop by your manager's office to chat. But don't constantly disturb them while they work — always let them know when you are stopping by or schedule meetings ahead of time.

And if they prefer email or IMs, still make an effort to discuss important matters in person. It's just the professional thing to do (and it's easier for things (like tone) to get lost in translation via instant message).

4. Determine what works and become invaluable. 

"Take time to understand what success metrics your manager and/or company has," Goldin says, "And leverage your strengths to align yourself to become a resource to them ensuring their success." He advises millennials to interpret what's needed and what's valued within the company, and capitalize the applicable qualities: "Become a strategic asset to your manager and company." 

5. Show self-sufficiency.

To quell the common misconceptions about millennials' lack of independence and inherent know-how, Goldin says that the younger generation should focus on intently learning the appropriate skills and becoming independent at work as quickly as possible.

"Proactively seek assistance on how to operate more autonomously," he says. "Don’t just say 'I don't know how' to do something and expect someone else to do it. When a manager takes the time to show a new skill, take notes and show that you want to learn so that next time you can handle the responsibility on your own."

SEE ALSO: Here are the real reasons you're not getting promoted at work

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Savannah Graybill, 27, was selected from more than 2,000 applicants to be the "Intern CEO for One Month" atAdecco Group North America,a human resources solutions provider that employs about 5,000 people.She is being paid $10,000 for the month. Here's what she experienced in week four on the job. (Read about weeks one, two, and three here.)

This morning I presented my final presentation to the Adecco Group North America leadership team. I talked about my experience as the most coveted intern in America, and different ideas that I had for the company — you know, if I were the real CEO.

It's hard to believe my internship as CEO for One Month is finally coming to an end. The past four weeks have been a life-changing experience, and one that I will never forget. Though I've been traveling all over the country, this internship certainly hasn't just been gallivanting across America networking and meeting with clients.

At the beginning of the internship, I was assigned two business case studies to be completed by the end of my tenure as the CEO for One Month — one of which enters me into the a global CEO challenge.

The Adecco CEO for One Month experience is occurring globally; there are 33 other young adults like myself shadowing the Adecco CEO in their respective countries, and we were all assigned the same business case study to earn a spot in the boot camp for the global competition.

If we have one of the 10 best case studies, we'll be invited to the boot camp in Europe for a chance to become the global CEO for One Month and shadow the Adecco Group Global CEO in Switzerland.

My last week as CEO

Prior to the start of my final week as "CEO," I thought to myself how lucky I was that I hadn't really endured any travel issues considering I've been coast-to-coast and everywhere in between. Well, that sort of thinking got me into trouble.

I started off the week in Jacksonville, Florida, at the Adecco Group North America headquarters, getting down to business on my case studies. I drove myself to the airport Monday afternoon to catch a flight to Omaha, Nebraska, to visit Modis, Adecco's information technology staffing group.

My trip out to Omaha was a long one — travel delay upon travel delay got me there well after midnight. It really made me realize how hard Adecco Group NA CEO Bob Crouch works and the travel delays that he must endure on a continual basis in his position. Being CEO is about more than just making big decisions; it's about meeting with colleagues from across the country, in different positions, and trying to find the best way to create a culture where people love what they do.

Tuesday morning, I met Modis Senior Vice President Gregg Schmedding and President Jack Cullen to learn from the Omaha crew.

Here I learned the true ins and outs of a staffing company. I spent time with recruiters, business development managers, and the sales department; I watched morning huddles, sat in on an in-office interview with a candidate and shadowed a recruiter.

We met with associates from Kiewit and Lease Team and met with executive coach Liz Miller. For Liz, culture is key — CEOs and top executives must lead the way to create change and create a strong organization. I had a great time learning from her as well as the rest of the Omaha crew.

On Thursday I made the trip to Dubuque, Iowa, to the first of two Entegee offices, an engineering staffing company. I met Vice President Jim Kieffer at the office for a quick tour and then we were off to John Deere.

John Deere has been in the biz for over 175 years and takes pride in maintaining a strong culture throughout its business. John Deere's quote, "I will never put my name on a product that doesn't have in it the best that is in me," can even be found in large print in the factory.

Friday went by in a blur as I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to head to — you guessed it — the airport on my way to Minneapolis to meet with another Entegee group. Senior Vice President Tom Hentges greeted me at the airport and we were off to visit his branch. After a quick introduction and tour of the office, we spent the day visiting a client that truly exemplifies the huge ways in which science and technology are revolutionizing our day-to-day lives.

I found myself back in the airport Friday afternoon and in a similar situation as Monday. Both my initial flight and connection were delayed, and I didn't get into Jacksonville until about 2 a.m.

During the extra time I had between layovers, I began thinking back to all of the amazing experiences that I've had over the past month.

My journey started in San Francisco, then took me to Louisville, Kentucky, New York City, Omaha, and then, in the end, Minneapolis.

In just one month, I was able to travel the entire country, get to know the Adecco family and meet with Adecco colleagues who really do love their jobs. It has shown me what a positive impact one company can have on so many lives.

In talking with each leader that I met this week, a recurring theme became apparent; the most effective way to be a successful leader and CEO is truly to employ the best people underneath you. It seems like such a simple concept, but each leader stressed the same thing: Finding the right people is hard.

I am so grateful for the time and effort the Adecco associates, executives, and clients that I met over the course of this past month took to engage and educate me. It's an experience I'll never forget and will hopefully continue on to Switzerland — fingers crossed.

Savannah Graybill is a graduate from American University (2010) with a degree in broadcast journalism. She is a resident athlete at the United States Olympic Training Center and is training to compete for a spot in the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Follow her on Twitter (@savannahjane1) and Instagram (@sgraybill25).

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How do CEOs who sleep for only four to five hours daily and manage to function and run multimillion-dollar companies? originally appeared as a question on Quora. Below we are republishing an answer from Alexandra Damsker, a CEO of a successful startup.

I don’t have a multimillion-dollar company (yet), but I’m one of those CEOs who function on three to five hours of sleep.

No, there aren’t any drugs involved, nor is there poor management (as far as I know). It’s a variety of things.

First, reduce TV. You sleep much better, and do much more work, when you don’t watch much TV. Your brain is actually less active while watching TV than when it’s sleeping. This dullness is addictive. My daughter becomes a giant mess when she watches too much TV — huge tantrums, crying, screaming, and complete meltdown. She doesn’t want to eat or listen. It’s like she’s addicted, and I’m taking away her drug. My husband is very similar, without the actual crying. He just sort of grunts more.

I’m not certain it happens with everyone, but I’d be surprised if most people aren’t highly susceptible to this “one more show” mentality, and the gape-mouthed stare is the death knell for good work, good eating, good sleep, or good play.

I am so incredibly happy that I get to do my job. It makes me excited to wake up, to take the conference call I had today set at the incredibly ludicrous time of 6:30 a.m.

Second, limit carbohydrates. For me, anyway, they just make me sleepy.

Third, limit meetings. Same as carbs. Blah blah blah — hate just droning on or being droned at. Nothing good comes of this.

Fourth, I actually have specific hours I need to sleep to do well, not a specific number of hours. It’s a quirk of my circadian rhythm, and it’s been that way since my 20s.

If I can sleep from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., I’m very happy. However, my home life doesn’t permit that, so I usually end up sleeping from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m., and 5 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. I have a hard time sleeping in the early morning hours, and love the morning.

Fifth, when I get a few energy slumps, I rely on some tried-and-true solutions: I switch tasks to things I really like (so I save that stuff for sleepy times). I hang out on Quora (dangerous, because I’m on here WAY longer than I should be. There should be a stopwatch or a clock on this thing!) I go outside. I email or chat with someone personal (not usually on the phone — hate the phone.) I play a set number of solitaire hands. I read the news or one of three gossip sites I frequent. (I’m not proud.)

Or, if all else fails, I take a nap. I usually sleep more on slower days or if nothing is happening on a weekend, but it works out

Sixth, and most important, I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY LOVE WHAT I DO. I love it so much! I am so incredibly happy that I get to do my job. I have days that suck. I have strings of days that suck. But they are just sucky days — my life is still pretty spectacularly awesome.

It makes me excited to wake up, to take the conference call I had today set at the incredibly ludicrous time of 6:30 a.m., to take calls and go to meetings while visiting family, to get over shyness and speak to the stranger next to me on the airplane, to spend the evening playing with my daughter knowing that I’ll be working on a document until 4 a.m. and begging Kinko’s for something.

I mostly just think I am a very lucky person. I have a pretty supportive spouse, a fantastic kid, and a wonderful dog.

I’m healthy. I’m privileged to run a company that is about to split into two, with customers that are acolytes that spare me marketing dollars. People believe in me, and my ability to lead; they believe in what I’ve created.

I do something that I think makes a difference in the world. And today I’m having a pretty good hair day.

I don’t really worry about the sleep that I get. I get what I can and do what I have to do every day.

Everyone around me is trying to help me out (for the most part). I keep my priorities in order. (My kid never suffers; I can’t make myself sick.) And I just focus on what I have immediately ahead and in the near future, and what I need to get those done.

I truly believe it will all benefit everyone in the end, and my support group does, too.

And that’s how I do it.

SEE ALSO: What I learned when I followed Benjamin Franklin’s schedule for a week

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If you want to be successful, you might have to roll out of bed a little earlier.

Waking up early was a common trait among CEOs surveyed by Jim Citrin at Yahoo Finance. It's also frequently cited by CEOs who relay their morning routines to Inc in one of its features, "The Way I Work."

Many of tech's go-getters function well on little sleep. Others are woken up by product releases, emails, and the desire to workout and meditate before starting their day.

Here are 12 successful people who often wake up before the crack of dawn.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer only gets about four hours of sleep.

Marissa Mayer isn't much for sleep. The Yahoo CEO presumably wakes up early since she says she only gets between four and six hours of sleep on any given night.

Apple CEO Tim Cook can be found in the gym by 5 a.m.

Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, starts sending emails around 4:30 a.m., according to Gawker's Ryan Tate. After that he works out. He's boasted about being the first in the office and the last out.

Steve Jobs was also an early riser, starting his days around 6:00.

Maybe Tim Cook fashioned his early morning routine after his former boss, Steve Jobs.

Jobs told Time back in 1999 about how he started his days: "I'll wake up sixish and work a little before the kids get up. Then we'll have a little food, finish up some homework, and see them off to school. If I'm lucky I'll work at home for another hour, but oftentimes I'll have to come in. I usually get [to Apple] about nine. Eight or nine. Having worked about an hour and a half or two hours at home."

When money, power, and reputations collide, it's not uncommon for a struggle between company leaders to ensue.

As organizations grow and the importance of decision-making and profits intensify, executives tend to butt heads — or, in some cases, have completely opposing views of what the future of the company should look like, which leads to a battle of whose vision is followed through.

This infographic created by Pack & Send documents the top executive falling-outs and the factors that caused them:

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NOW WATCH: Here are the 11 best companies to work for in the US

Glassdoor recently set out to find the average ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay at some of the biggest companies in the US.

To do that, the team first sifted through 2014 Fortune 500 SEC filings to find out how much the CEO at each company earns in a year. They then found the median employee compensation for workers at each company, and did some simple math to calculate the average ratio. (To ensure statistical reliability, Glassdoor only included companies with at least 30 salary reports from employees.)

They found that across all Fortune 500 companies, the average CEO pay was $13.8 million a year, while the average median worker pay was about $77,800 and the average ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay was 204.

In other words, the average CEO earns around 204 times what their median worker earns, explains Andrew Chamberlain, Glassdoor's chief economist, in a blog post. 

"Executive pay has long been controversial,"writes Chamberlain. "In recent years, a number of studies have highlighted the gap between CEO pay and average salaries for workers." However, new rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) this month "mean all that is about to change," he explains. 

"Beginning in 2017, public companies will be required to disclose the ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay, providing transparency into pay inside some of the largest companies — all the way up to the top."

In the meantime, CEOs of companies like Wal-Mart and Chipotle are earning about 1,133 and 1,522 times what their employees make, respectively, according to Glassdoor research.

Chamberlain says it's important to note that CEO compensation is highly volatile from year to year. "Most CEO pay at large companies is made up of bonuses and stock compensation that swing sharply from year to year. Choosing different base years for our analysis would have a large effect on the rankings of CEO to worker pay for these employers," he explained in his post.

He also says to make a fair comparison, Glassdoor compared total CEO pay to total worker pay. "However, while CEO pay for bonuses, stock options, and other pay beyond base salary is accurately reported in SEC filings, most workers underreport bonuses and stock options in surveys, such as Glassdoor's salary survey. Most workers simply don't know or don't recall the details of non-salary compensation. As a result, total pay is likely underreported for workers, which could overstate CEO pay ratios."

Here are 26 CEOs who made at least 500 times what their median employee earned in 2014:

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David M. Zaslav

Company: Discovery Communications

Median full-time total worker compensation (2009-2015): $80,000

2014 total CEO compensation: $156,077,912

Ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay: 1,951

Steve Ells

Company: Chipotle

Median full-time total worker compensation (2009-2015): $19,000

2014 total CEO compensation: $28,924,270

Ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay: 1,522

Larry J. Merlo

Company: CVS Health

Median full-time total worker compensation (2009-2015): $27,139

2014 total CEO compensation: $32,350,733

Ratio of CEO pay to median worker pay: 1,192

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Everyone feels stressed out from time to time. In fact, according to a new infographic byMake It Cheaper, 47% of people feel stressed every day.

But the most successful people find ways to cope with it and remain cool, calm, and collected at work.

The below infographic highlights the lessons famous executives and CEOs like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and Susan Wojcicki have learned and shared after years of successfully managing the stress that comes with running a business.

Read and take note.

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It’s considered one of the cornerstones of a successful life and career: You separate your work life from your personal life.

But one executive begs to differ — and advises you to do the same.

That man is Johan Aurik, the CEO of A.T. Kearney, a worldwide management consulting firm with over $1 billion in revenue.

"You can’t hide your personal life at work," he says. "You can only be effective as a leader if you’re also able to share your life with others." 

Originally from the Netherlands, Aurik moved to the U.S. in his early 20s to pursue degrees in American studies at Smith College in Northampton, MA, and economics and international relations at the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC.

After graduating, he started working for the Chicago-based A.T. Kearney in Europe and North America, eventually ascending the ranks to become its global managing partner and chairman in 2012.

During those years, he said, he learned to "open up" to his employees.

"I’m pretty open about my personal life," he told me in Brussels, Belgium, as I interviewed him for my upcoming book, "Before I Was CEO." That openness goes both ways: He’ll sometimes let his personal life enter his professional life, and he and his family have had to accept the high toll his professional life sometimes takes on his family life.

For example, Aurik went through a difficult period when his father passed away a few years ago. He made no efforts to hide that at work. "I had tears in my eyes, and people could see it. But why would I try to hide that?" he asked.

It’s a human reaction. And showing those is "a sign of strength, not weakness," Aurik said.

Letting the boundaries between work and life erode helps to make work with others more authentic and to create an emotional bond, he said.

"In a business like consulting, you don’t produce a physical object. You offer your advice, that’s what people pay for. But you can’t get people to rationally trust your advice and pay for it unless they emotionally trust you as well. That’s where the personal aspect comes in." 

That trust factor plays in his relations with his own employees as well — even at the highest level. His experience in a nationwide partner meeting in Colorado Springs in 2013 is testimony of that. "It was the first time I led such a partner meeting as global managing partner," he said. "I had an important role to play. But at the same time as the meeting, my daughter had her high school graduation."

Aurik felt he couldn’t miss the graduation, and did what many would consider to be the "unthinkable": A day into the meeting, after his remarks, he stood up and announced he was leaving the meeting, and left.

How did that go down? "A few people mumbled, of course," Aurik said. "But in the end, the prevailing talk now is that I set a positive example when I did that." People appreciated his honesty and respected his priorities.

Why could Aurik leave such an important meeting? "Because I was upfront about it," he told me. "I stood up during a plenary session and explained my decision to leave. That was crucial. There was no hiding. That’s what I mean when I say you can’t hide your personal life from your professional life."

Things would have been different, Aurik argues, had he left in silence and sent an email to his colleagues.

In this case, Aurik wouldn’t have left his daughter’s graduation for anything in the world. But that doesn’t mean he would leave important meetings for any personal reason. Rather, he believes the combination of life and career can succeed more often through another recipe: meticulous planning.

"I start planning my agenda a year and a half in advance," he said. "That way, I can set aside enough time for a family vacation or dinner."

Long-term planning allowed him to join his daughter for a week as she went on a U.S. road trip to visit colleges throughout Massachusetts and New York, for example.

However, Aurik’s plans don’t stay limited to week-long family vacations: Even a lazy night on the couch at home gets planned in advance, he says. "Those are the choices you need to make."

And what goes around, comes around. Just as he sometimes lets his personal priorities prevail on his work duties, he often has to let his work duties prevail over his personal life.

As an example, Aurik cites the management buyout A.T. Kearney went through in 2005. As the business went through precarious times, the partners of the company decided to buy out the shares in the company from its then-shareholders, EDS.

During a cold December night in 2005, as the deadline approached, Aurik says he and his colleagues sat in a London hotel, waiting eagerly for confirmation faxes that their colleagues had paid for the buyout.

Aurik had invested his own money in the buyout, "without having a guarantee, and without having an under-limit to my losses." Luckily, the confirmations of his colleagues came, and in the years following, Aurik and his colleagues could rebuild the 80-year old company "as if it was a century-old startup."

Those long hours, days, and years at the job meant he had to sacrifice a lot of time with his family. When you don’t clearly demarcate the line between personal and professional life, it requires giving as well as taking.

Are such sacrifices worth it? Aurik says they are. "You have to get everything out of life that you possibly can. That’s my leitmotiv, my constant motivation."

Peter Vanham is a media strategist at the World Economic Forum and a freelance business writer. He is currently writing "Before I Was CEO," a book on the lessons from leaders before they reached the top.

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Few institutions teach discipline, management, logistics, and efficiency like the US Armed Forces, so it's no surprise that Ranker's list of Fortune 500 CEOs finds many military veterans. 

Below are some of the most accomplished military vets who went on to lead Fortune 500 companies.

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Johnson&Johnson: Alex Gorsky

West Point graduate Alex Gorsky served in the Army for six years, eventually achieving the rank of captian. He was a member of the Army's elite Rangers and served in Europe, the US, and Panama. 

He became the CEO of Johnson and Johnson at the age of 51, where he remains to this day. He also serves on the Board of Directors for IBM.

Source: Ranker

Proctor and Gamble: Robert A. McDonald

Robert A. McDonald wanted to be in the Army so bad that he wrote his congressman for an special exemption at just 11 years old. Eventually, he came of age and got his wish, serving in the 82nd Airborne Division and retiring with the rank of Captain. 

He is a former CEO of Proctor and Gamble, and the current secretary of Veterans Affairs in the Obama Administration, where he works to improve veteran's access to healthcare.

Source: Ranker

Casey's General Store: Robert Myers

Robert Myers spent 22 years in the US Army, serving in Germany, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait and finally retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1988.

After retiring, began working at Casey's General as a manager. Within a few years he worked his way up to the top of the corporation, which owns hundreds of stores across America, many of which are situated in small towns with populations of 5,000 or less.

Source: Fortune, Casey's General Store

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Bonobos CEO Fran Della Badia has left the rapidly growing men's clothing brand after three months on the job. Cofounder and chairman Andy Dunn is returning as CEO.

The company says Della Badia, formerly the president of Coach's North American retail division, was ultimately not the right fit for the company.

"We've been on a fast growth trajectory and I was eager and excited to bring someone in with Fran's experience and pedigree," Dunn said. "What she and I learned in just a few months is that at this stage, we still need the founder at the helm."

"These past months leading Bonobos have been a great experience for me," Della Badia said in a statement. "While I was brought in to effect change and to evolve operations, it quickly became clear that at this stage, the company and culture still require Andy's involvement on a day-to-day basis."

Dunn and other sources close to the company said that financially Bonobos was doing better than it ever had, meeting or exceeding expectations for this year. The transition, Dunn said, was entirely based on fit.

Cofounders Brian Spaly, CEO of Trunk Club since leaving Bonobos in 2009, and Dunn launched Bonobos online in 2007 as a brand of exceptionally well-fitting chinos. The company began expanding beyond pants in 2010 and into brick-and-mortar stores the next year, also forming a partnership with Nordstrom in 2012.

Over the past eight years, it has raised nearly $128 million in capital, raising $55 million in its Series D round in July of last year. It has used the funding to launch more brick-and-mortar stores, and it hopes to expand its current count of 19 to 30 by the end of next year.

Dunn and the board say it was Dunn's idea to have Della Badia join the company as CEO. Dunn considers Della Badia a mentor and has known her for the past five years. She joined Bonobos on June 1.

Board member and investor Joel Peterson told Business Insider that Dunn felt that a seasoned executive would be best to take Bonobos into its next stage of development but that Della Badia and Dunn came to the conclusion this summer that Della Badia was more suited to a mature company.

The board will now be developing a team of experienced advisers to assist Dunn as CEO in "turning the corner" into a more developed stage.

Dunn said that Della Badia would remain an adviser from beyond the company and that he and Peterson were optimistic about Bonobos' future.

"There is no doubt ... that Bonobos is on a great path and I look forward to seeing what's to come," Della Badia said.

SEE ALSO: Bonobos is opening retail stores — but you can't actually take any of the clothes home

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