I looked at my calendar and thought,
“There is no way I can take those two days off.”
My diary for this week was quite full. I had penciled to fly to Brisbane for a two-day retreat with a group of entrepreneurs — a chance to step back, reflect, and think more strategically about the business. I had many meetings and quite a few things to finish as I was heading on leave at the end of the week.
In addition, we had a last-minute request from the CEO of a company for a session with 20 of his team members. Crazy.
I have to admit that at the end of last week, with everything going on, I was really tempted to cancel the two day retreat. In the end, I pushed myself to go anyway.
And I’m so glad I did.
Bonjour. In this video, I want to share three things that can seriously boost your performance — and your business.
Right now, I’m in Brisbane — not running a training, but actually being trained.
I’m part of a group of entrepreneurs that meets every two months. This time, we were together in person for two full days. Live, face-to-face, in the room. It was exciting… but before the event, I’ll be honest — I was thinking, “I can’t afford to take this time off.”
But as soon as it started, everything shifted.
Over the two days, I was completely energised — overwhelmed, in a good way — with new ideas. Ideas to help our team, improve our systems, grow the business.
I wrote pages of ideas. But I also knew that once I’m back in the office, caught in the whirlwind of day-to-day, there’s a big risk all those ideas could be forgotten.
So here are three things that have made a real difference for me:
1. Adopt a Continuous Improvement Mindset
I’m always asking myself:
“How can we do this better?”
This mentality — of never settling, always evolving — is what pushes me to take time out, even when it feels inconvenient. Because I know those small moments of reflection drive long-term growth.
2. Focus on the 1% Shifts
Big change rarely comes from one big decision.
It comes from a hundred little ones.
During those two days, I had a dedicated page in my notebook titled “Insight & Action”. For every insight I had, I wrote down one small action I could take. Tiny tweaks — but they add up.
3. Prioritise Implementation Over Inspiration
Ideas are great. But unless you do something with them, they’re just words on paper.
That’s why I’ve blocked out time after the event to sit down, review everything, and choose 2–3 small actions to implement. I won’t action every single idea — but I’ll make sure the most impactful ones actually happen.
Interestingly, this mirrors the exact journey we take leaders through in our Work Smarter: Live Better program.
Start with the right mindset.
We ask participants to show up open and engaged.
Make small, meaningful tweaks.
It’s not about one massive overhaul — it’s a series of micro-improvements that change how you work.
Embed the changes.
We don’t just talk theory — we get people implementing what they have learnt during the session, and then follow up with support between sessions to keep momentum going.
The result?
Over nearly 20 years, through constant reflection and iteration, we’ve designed what I’d confidently call a world-class training experience.
Not because I’m a genius. Far from it. But because my team and I consistently ask one simple question:
“How can we improve?”
That question — asked often and acted on — has made all the difference.
And it keeps the work deeply meaningful and exciting.
So, my question to you is: When was the last time you took time away from the day-to-day — to step back, reflect, and think about what could be better? And more importantly…
How good are you at turning ideas into action?
This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip.
Hope you have a beautiful and lovely day.
A bientôt,
Cyril
