Inside the daily routine of Siemens CEO Roland Busch

Siemens AG’s chief executive, Roland Busch, describes a disciplined routine that starts at 6 a.m. with weight-lifting, HIIT and boxing at the company’s Munich or Erlangen gyms, lasting up to an hour and a half. Afterward he holds a working breakfast, handling about 200 emails a day while aiming to keep his inbox below 100 by answering with brief “OK” or “No” replies. He rejects standing meetings, telling direct reports to come to him only when necessary, and spends his afternoons in continuous briefings, using a digital paper-less system.

An experienced assistant named Gundula coordinates his calendar, and his travel schedule covers roughly 477,710 miles annually, with sleep tactics tailored to east- or west-bound flights. Evenings are reserved for dinner engagements with clients, partners or his core team, and he unwinds by playing guitar or meeting friends on weekends.