What separates the most successful managers from the mediocre? That question has been at the forefront of my work for 10 years. In the end, the answers I found surprised me. First, the very best managers are well rested. They walk into the office relaxed and smiling. They say hello to people. They casually walk over, get a cup of coffee, and sit down to a clear desk. This calmness pervades their entire day from private meetings to important phone calls to large group meetings to important customer calls. This calmness allows them to keep projects moving forward successfully. They don't create dramas that waste time and energy. Second, the best managers schedule thinking time. They schedule one hour a week to think. They get away from their employees, suppliers, customers, family, and pets. They go to places where no one knows them. They take out a blank sheet of paper and start building a list of ideas of how they can improve their most important business outcome. After 45 minutes, they select their best idea and build an action plan. And then they go back to their day jobs. Third, they operate at the intersection of greatness. They use their strengths and passions to improve their organization's most important outcomes and their customers' most important outcomes. They spend very little time doing things they aren't good at or they don't care about. This subtle shift in the use of their time and energy has a dramatic impact on the results they generate. That's it. Three things separate the very best managers from the very mediocre. And along the way these three things improve the business performance of hundreds of employees in their organization and at suppliers. Dan Coughlin, author of "Accelerate: 20 Practical Lessons to Boost Business Momentum"