Rockefeller Habits Checklist
Score the ten habits that separate companies that scale from companies that stall.
For coaches and advisors helping leadership teams build operating discipline, the Rockefeller Habits Checklist from Verne Harnish is the structured review behind Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. It scores a company against the ten habits that consistently separate firms that scale from firms that stall, from a healthy, aligned executive team to plans and performance everyone can see. Deployed through Esperto, you get a clear read of which habits are solid and which are missing, so a team knows exactly where to tighten up. You stay the strategist, turning the checklist into the team's operating-rhythm roadmap.
Coaches and advisors building operating discipline with leadership teams
The ten Rockefeller Habits, from a healthy executive team to company-wide visibility of plans and performance
[EDIT: confirm - e.g. ~10 min per leader, scored checklist same day]
Scored checklist across the ten habits + leadership-team gap view + coach-led debrief
English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Italian
Not required - deploy directly through Esperto
What the Rockefeller Habits Checklist measures
The Rockefeller Habits Checklist is the operating discipline at the heart of Verne Harnish's Mastering the Rockefeller Habits. It distils decades of observing growth companies into ten habits that, when they are in place, let a business execute without drama, and that, when they slip, are usually where the wheels come off. The checklist turns those ten habits into a structured score. Each leader rates how well each habit is genuinely in place, and you get a clear picture of which disciplines are solid, which are slipping, and which to build next. Many teams run it quarterly as a half-day review to keep the habits alive rather than letting them drift.
The ten habits it scores
HABIT 1
A healthy, aligned executive team
The leadership team is healthy, trusts each other, and is aligned on where the business is going.
HABIT 2
Everyone aligned on the top priority
Everyone knows the company's number one priority for the quarter, and is pulling toward it.
HABIT 3
A communication rhythm
A cadence of daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly meetings moves information through the company fast.
HABIT 4
Clear accountability
Every facet of the organization has someone accountable for making sure goals are met.
HABIT 5
Ongoing employee input
Employee input is collected continuously to identify obstacles and opportunities.
HABIT 6
Customer feedback as rigorous as financials
Customer feedback is gathered and analyzed as frequently and accurately as financial data.
HABIT 7
Core values and purpose alive
The company's core values and purpose are genuinely alive in how it hires, manages and behaves.
HABIT 8
Employees can articulate the strategy
Employees can accurately describe the key components of the company's strategy.
HABIT 9
Everyone knows if they had a good day
Every employee can answer quantitatively whether they had a good day or week, through clear KPIs.
HABIT 10
Plans and performance are visible
The company's plans and performance are visible to everyone, not locked in the leadership team.
Typical use cases for coaches and advisors
- Give a leadership team a structured, honest read of which operating habits are in place and which are missing.
- Turn "we know we should be more disciplined" into a specific, scored list of what to fix first.
- Run it as a quarterly review so the team keeps the habits alive instead of letting them slip.
- Pair it with the Scaling Up Assessment: the four decisions show what to fix, the habits show how to operate.
- Track habit-by-habit progress over quarters to show a team its operating discipline improving.
How it works
From kickoff to a scored checklist in about [EDIT: confirm turnaround] days. No subscriptions, no platform commitments, no surprise costs along the way.
You position it with your client
You stay the strategist; the checklist is the instrument you bring to the leadership team. You set it up and send it through Esperto, no platform to manage.
The leadership team scores the ten habits
Each leader rates how well each habit is genuinely in place, online, in about [EDIT: confirm respondent time]. Their views roll up into one company picture.
Esperto delivers the scored checklist, you run the conversation
You get a clear read of which habits are solid and which are slipping. You turn it into the team's operating-rhythm roadmap for the next quarter.
Hear it from the source
Verne Harnish on the ten habits behind Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, and why operating discipline, not strategy, is where most growth companies come undone.
Inside the scored checklist
A single, leadership-team scorecard that rates all ten habits and shows where the team agrees on what is working and what is not. Six glimpses of what lands in front of you and the team during the debrief.
← Scroll or swipe to see all slides
Verne Harnish
Verne Harnish is one of the most influential voices in the world of business growth. He is the founder of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) and the founder and CEO of Scaling Up, the methodology and global coaching network that has helped tens of thousands of companies grow. He is the author of Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0), both standard works for leadership teams serious about growth. The Rockefeller Habits Checklist puts the operating discipline from his work into a structured review you can run with your own clients.
Author - Mastering the Rockefeller Habits and Scaling Up
Founder - Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO)
Founder and CEO - Scaling Up
Creator of the Four Decisions framework taught in CEO bootcamps worldwide
Trusted by advisors building real operating discipline
A few words from the coaches and leaders who use the Rockefeller Habits Checklist in their work. Aim for at least one coach/advisor voice alongside any leadership-team voices.
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[EDIT: quote from a coach or advisor who runs the checklist with leadership teams. 2 to 4 sentences. A concrete outcome beats generic praise.]
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[EDIT: Role, Company]
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[EDIT: quote from a CEO or leadership-team member. Ideal: a habit the checklist exposed as missing, and what changed once they built it.]
[EDIT: Full name]
[EDIT: Role, Company]
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[EDIT: decision-moment quote: why they made the checklist a quarterly ritual, and what it did for execution.]
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[EDIT: Role, Company]
Built so you can run the checklist inside your own practice and earn your margin.
The Rockefeller Habits Checklist is priced on a pay-as-you-go basis. You pay a partner rate per checklist you deploy. No subscriptions, no minimums, no annual platform fees, and no certification required. Your margin lives in the difference between the partner rate and what you charge your client for the operating-discipline engagement around it.
Partner rate
Contact us / per checklist
Pay-as-you-go. No subscriptions, no minimums. Final number depends on leadership-team size and how often you run it, confirmed on a discovery call.
- Scored checklist across all ten Rockefeller Habits
- Leadership-team gap view: where the team agrees and where it splits
- Prioritized read of which habits to build next
- Available in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian
- Coach view of the results, ready to debrief with the team
Volume. Running the checklist quarterly across several teams? Ask about a partner volume rate.
Enterprise and in-house. Advisory firms or in-house teams deploying across multiple companies or business units, contact us for a tailored package.
No certification required. You can deploy the Rockefeller Habits Checklist with your clients directly through Esperto. No certification or onboarding gate to clear first.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Rockefeller Habits Checklist for?
Coaches, advisors and facilitators helping leadership teams build operating discipline, and the companies they serve. It is built for teams that have a strategy but keep tripping over execution, and want a structured, honest read of which operating habits are actually in place.
How long does the engagement take?
Each leader spends about [EDIT: confirm respondent time] scoring the ten habits. The team scorecard is available [EDIT: confirm turnaround]. Many teams build the debrief into a half-day quarterly review.
In which languages is it available?
The Rockefeller Habits Checklist is available in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish and Italian. If you need a language not listed, ask. Additions can usually be arranged.
What does my client receive as a deliverable?
A scored checklist across all ten Rockefeller Habits, plus a leadership-team gap view showing where the team agrees and where it splits on what is genuinely in place. You receive a coach view of the same results, with a prioritized read of which habits to build next, ready to debrief with the team.
How is privacy handled?
Responses are collected and hosted under Esperto's data protections. [EDIT: confirm specifics: hosting region, GDPR status, retention policy, and whether individual leader responses are attributed or anonymized within the team rollup.]
Do I need to be certified to deploy this with my clients?
No. You can deploy the Rockefeller Habits Checklist with your clients directly through Esperto, with no certification or onboarding gate to clear first. A short platform walkthrough is all you need to get started.
How does pricing work, and what is my margin?
You buy at a partner rate per checklist and set your own rate with your client, so the margin is yours. Pay-as-you-go, with no subscriptions, no minimums and no platform fees. Volume pricing is available if you run it quarterly across your client base. Contact us for the current rate card.
Can I combine this with other Esperto assessments?
Yes. It is part of the Scaling Up suite and is the natural companion to the Scaling Up Assessment: the four decisions show what to fix, the ten habits show how to operate. It also pairs with the Leadership Vision Alignment Assessment and the Quarterly Session Preparation Assessment for a full growth-operating-system engagement.
How do I measure a company's execution discipline?
The Rockefeller Habits Checklist scores the company against the ten habits from Verne Harnish's Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, from a healthy, aligned executive team to plans and performance everyone can see. The result shows exactly which habits are solid and which are missing.
Let's talk about how the Rockefeller Habits Checklist fits your practice.
A short discovery call is the fastest way to know whether the Rockefeller Habits Checklist belongs in your practice. We'll ask how you work with leadership teams on execution and operating discipline and where a quarterly habits review would fit. Then we'll be honest about whether this is the right match, or whether another tool in the Esperto toolkit fits better.