--- title: "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life And Business" description: One chapter is devoted to Paul O’Neill when he was the CEO of Alcoa. His first order of business was attacking a single pattern among his employees — how they approached worker safety. Soon Alcoa became the top performer in the Dow Jones. image: https://www.valuecapturellc.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Paul-Sr_-300x219-1.jpg --- # The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life And Business November 19, 2015 Written by Value Capture Award-winning *New York Times* business reporter Charles Duhigg shows that habits aren’t destiny, and that we can transform our businesses, communities, and lives by harnessing a new science. One chapter is devoted to [Paul O’Neill](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/staff/paul-h-oneill) when he was the CEO of Alcoa. His first order of business was attacking a single pattern among his employees — how they approached worker safety. Soon Alcoa became the top performer in the Dow Jones. Discover his thinking and more in this transformational book. [Buy now](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081298160X) [Articles & News](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/tag/articles-news), [Paul O'Neill](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/tag/paul-oneill) ![Value Capture](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/hubfs/Value%20Capture%20Square%20Logo%20512.jpg) #### Written by [ Value Capture ](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/author/value-capture-llc) Value Capture supports chief executives who seek to transform the performance of their healthcare organization in safety, quality and profitability. ##### Like it? Share it: [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/the-power-of-habit-why-we-do-what-we-do-in-life-and-business) [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/the-power-of-habit-why-we-do-what-we-do-in-life-and-business) [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/the-power-of-habit-why-we-do-what-we-do-in-life-and-business) ### You may also like [Bill O’Rourke on Using Paul O’Neill’s Playbook ](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-6-bill-orourke-on-using-paul-oneills-playbook) ##### [Bill O’Rourke on Using Paul O’Neill’s Playbook](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-6-bill-orourke-on-using-paul-oneills-playbook) 15 June, 2020 Listen: [Read this article](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-6-bill-orourke-on-using-paul-oneills-playbook) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-6-bill-orourke-on-using-paul-oneills-playbook) [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-6-bill-orourke-on-using-paul-oneills-playbook) [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/habitual-excellence-episode-6-bill-orourke-on-using-paul-oneills-playbook) [Paul O'Neill and His Playbook for Habitual Excellence [Video] ](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/our-founder-paul-oneill-and-his-playbook-for-habitual-excellence-video) ##### [Paul O'Neill and His Playbook for Habitual Excellence [Video]](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/our-founder-paul-oneill-and-his-playbook-for-habitual-excellence-video) 22 April, 2020 [Read this article](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/our-founder-paul-oneill-and-his-playbook-for-habitual-excellence-video) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/our-founder-paul-oneill-and-his-playbook-for-habitual-excellence-video) [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/our-founder-paul-oneill-and-his-playbook-for-habitual-excellence-video) [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/our-founder-paul-oneill-and-his-playbook-for-habitual-excellence-video) [Is a Goal of "Zero Harm" Inspiring or Not? [Poll Results] ](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/is-a-goal-of-zero-harm-inspiring-or-not-poll) ##### [Is a Goal of "Zero Harm" Inspiring or Not? [Poll Results]](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/is-a-goal-of-zero-harm-inspiring-or-not-poll) 15 December, 2021 I created a poll recently on LinkedIn, where I posed the question like this: [Read this article](https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/is-a-goal-of-zero-harm-inspiring-or-not-poll) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/is-a-goal-of-zero-harm-inspiring-or-not-poll) [LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/is-a-goal-of-zero-harm-inspiring-or-not-poll) [Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/is-a-goal-of-zero-harm-inspiring-or-not-poll) #### Submit a comment ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Value Capture", "url" : "https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/author/value-capture-llc" }, "dateModified" : "2021-09-12T16:00:03.428Z", "datePublished" : "2015-11-20T01:51:03.000Z", "headline" : "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life And Business", "image" : [ "https://www.valuecapturellc.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Paul-Sr_-300x219-1.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.valuecapturellc.com/blog/the-power-of-habit-why-we-do-what-we-do-in-life-and-business", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.valuecapturellc.com/hubfs/social-suggested-images/www.valuecapturellc.comhs-fshubfsValue%20Capture%20White%20Logo%20Transparent-3.png" }, "name" : "Value Capture" } } ```