Humans are born with a circadian rhythm – a sleep-wake rhythm. Variations in human genes cause us to sleep and wake at different times of the day. Your circadian rhythm is therefore not something you choose. You are genetically predisposed to be either a morning person or an evening person. If we need an alarm clock to wake up in the morning, we are not only disrupting our sleep – we are living out of sync with our internal biological clocks. Living out of sync with our biological clocks makes us more vulnerable to infections, cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And at work, it makes us less productive and effective.

This book shows you how you can use the knowledge of chronobiology to create healthier, more sustainable and more productive rhythms in the workplace. Knowledge-based societies requires an inclusion of different circadian rhythms, and there is much to be gained for individuals, for companies, and for society if we let go of prejudices and create social acceptance and respect for our diversity in circadian rhythms. Chronoleadership is a new framework for creating attractive (and productive) workplaces for both morning persons and evening persons.