20 years ago, I took my very first group of managers from a large bank through a three-month journey to challenge their ways of working and work habits. At the end of the journey, I asked everyone to share the impact of the experience in front of the team.
Marnie stood up, and what she said shocked me—I was not expecting it at all, and it has stayed with me for two decades.
In this video, I want to explain why I wrote Less Achieves More and why I have spent the last two years writing it.
When Marnie stood up, she said:
“Cyril, as a result of this journey, my desk is clean.”
You have to remember that 20 years ago, we had paper galore everywhere. She continued:
“My inbox—I see the white space at the end of every day, which has been unheard of for years. I feel on top of my KPIs, I feel on top of what I need to do, and I know I will perform.”
She then added, “But that’s not a big deal.”
I remember saying, “Well, that sounds pretty good to me already. What’s the big deal for you?”
She looked at me and said something I have never forgotten:
“The big deal, Cyril, is I sleep at night. I used to have a notepad and a pen on my bedside table because I was waking in the middle of the night thinking I forgot to do this and I need to do this. My brain was in constant overdrive. For the first time in a long time, I sleep at night. You’ve changed my life.”
That was the exact moment I realised why I am doing what I am doing. Yes, helping businesses improve their performance matters. But the real motivation is realising that if you transform the way you work, you transform the way you live.
The feedback from Marnie and many others over the last 20 years motivated me to keep going and expand Work Smarter: Live Better. I have now worked in about 21 countries with leaders from large companies around the world. That journey pushed me to write Less Achieves More—to share 20 years of working with leaders, of successes, of failures, and of trying my best to change their performance and their lives.
I hope you will enjoy the book and that it brings you a lot of benefits. Don’t hesitate to share your feedback—I’ll put a link below where you can get your copy. I’m really looking forward to hearing from you and sharing these 20 years of expertise with you.
You have a lovely day.
À bientôt,
Cyril
