Sports fans love to compare today’s athletes to the legends of the past and speculate about who’s the best. While many of us cherish our childhood memories, it’s a cold, hard fact that, in almost every case, today’s athletes would handily defeat their predecessors. As a flamethrowing relief pitcher said in 2018, if Babe Ruth, arguably one of the greatest players in major league history, were playing today, “I would strike him out every time.”

Exaggeration? Maybe a little. But it’s undeniable that today’s athletes in every sport are bigger, stronger, faster, better coached, better rested, better fed, better equipped, and more prepared. The development of sports technology and sports science—new ideas in nutrition, recovery, in-game strategy, coaching, athletic techniques, you name it—means that today’s athletes are unquestionably better than those from even 25 years ago.

For today’s chief executive officers, there’s a lot to learn from that remarkable progress. And the need is urgent, primarily because the playing field has become radically more difficult. CEOs are on the job 24/7, responsible for addressing an ever-shifting array of problems and threats, even when there is incomplete information (usually) and when every move is under scrutiny (constantly). Not only do CEOs have to deal with a wide range of stakeholders, all of them with their own priorities, but employees are increasingly demanding—as they should be. Plus, technology is changing at warp speed, and the geopolitical environment is unsettled. When companies slip up, they are judged harshly, not least through social media.

Our October 2024 research identified a number of traits required for 21st-century leaders: positive energy; selflessness and a sense of service; a belief in continuous learning; grit and resilience; levity; and an acceptance of stewardship.¹ Since that time, we have been in dialogue with CEOs about how to get past the challenges of “living into” these attributes. We learned that the best leaders today have made a generational change in their thinking, one that closely parallels how elite athletes prepare, train, and compete. In several ways, the two jobs—CEO and athlete—are highly correlated. Here are five leadership practices of great athletes that business leaders can adapt to their own work.

They use their time purposefully

LeBron James was a teenage prodigy, coming out of high school to be the top pick in the 2003 NBA draft. He is the only player from that draft still playing. The disciplined way that James spends his time has been critical to his enduring greatness. Here is his game-day routine: wake up at 6:30 a.m.; take a cold plunge, then do some warm-ups; nap from noon to 2:00 p.m.; wake up and go to the arena; stretch at 3:30 p.m., then get a massage and do some more warm-ups; and be ready for game time at 7:00 p.m.² Then that evening, get a good, deep sleep: seven to nine hours—no phones, no light.³ Repeat, for 21 seasons and counting. Reportedly, James spends more than $1 million a year to take care of his mind and body.

The best CEOs manage their time just as meticulously. One tech CEO told us that his goal is to “maximize impact per minute.” That approach won’t work for everyone, but in our experience, effective CEOs all prioritize key tasks; focus on doing the things only they can do; and create the conditions to perform at peak moments. A few other practices also work well. One is to develop a “tight but loose” calendar as much as 12 months ahead. The schedule is tight in the sense that meetings run promptly, with the most important ones taking place during the CEO’s most productive times, and loose in that it includes blocks of unscheduled time. For example, the CEO of a global tech company keeps 20 percent of his calendar empty; this enables him to catch his breath and react to situations as they crop up. To accomplish this demanding routine, CEOs need strong support teams, typically including a dedicated administrative assistant or two (one for the calendar, one for travel and logistics) and often a talented chief of staff.