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A Recap of the Gen-i Implementer Business Retreat.

The inaugural Gen-i Implementer is over. After a wonderful weekend at Silverholme Manor, I can safely confirm that I am still on cloud nine! The culmination of months of careful planning played out perfectly. The luxury setting and informative workshops, coupled with delicious food and restful environment. This resulted in fourteen blissed-out business owners leaving the business retreat on Sunday, ready to welcome new challenges and take on the world.

I was careful to select each attendee and this created a meticulously curated group of business owners who would both benefit from, and contribute to, the event. They gave themselves permission to be removed from everyday work stresses and placed in the capable hands of some top-notch facilitators:

  • Sue Firth, business psychologist who covered psychology and mindset;
  • Winston Clements, award-winning international speaker who offered inspiration;
  • Demir and Carey Bentley, a dynamic couple of productivity experts;
  • and me, covering the ‘HOW’ and ‘structural’ elements of change.

It was important to me that we didn’t just inspire and inform, I wanted to make sure attendees left the business retreat knowing ‘HOW’ to affect their mindset and make change happen. Success is all in the ‘HOW’.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” Socrates

The beautiful location of our retreat!

The Venue

This was pivotal to the overall experience. I wanted to create an oasis where guests could recharge and reassess – and where better to do that than on the banks of Lake Windermere? We were greeted daily by a vista that both inspired and comforted, creating an atmosphere of utter peace and tranquility. There wasn’t a filing cabinet or traffic jam in sight.

The attendees engaged in one of our workshops.

Food played a vital role in fueling our minds and bodies and we were spoilt by our private chef and all-around awesome guy, Dave Lucas from Fire and Blade.

He went to great lengths to ensure all of our needs were met, and more. It was important to me that that we gathered as a group to eat, share stories, talk, and bond over the course of the weekend. Dave was in tune with our hungry bellies and provided a conveyor belt of sweet and savoury treats. He also catered three stupendous meals each day that left us all completely wowed and satisfied. Check out his website www.fireandblade.com

The Workshops

I structured the workshops around 3 key themes:

  • Day 1: Intention,
  • Day 2: Insight,
  • and Day 3: Implementation.

Each day offered a mix of focused workshops and talks in the morning. All of these included plenty of interaction and discussion with important free time to relax and process in the afternoon.

So often, business conferences focus on inspirational case studies and information input that leave participants fired up and ready to change their lives. And then it’s over. There is no time for integration or implementation.

I wanted to ensure that at the Gen-i Implementer we gave attendees the opportunity to assimilate all they had learned, not just from the workshops but from discussions with others. Then, developing a solid plan for change on day three followed by eight weeks of accountability online support to ensure the implementation happens. In the words of Guy Kawasaki, ‘A good idea is 10% Inspiration and 90% Implementation’.

Intention

In this powerful workshop, with direction from myself and Sue Firth, we explored what our dream life looked like, breaking it down into its separate components. We worked in pairs to draw out the detail; the discussions offered encouragement and opportunities to share personal insights. Demir and Carey’s talk in the afternoon added further perspective to the possibilities of lifestyle design and ways of optimising your business. An energising and perspective-shifting day!

Insight

Following on from INTENTION, we examined what aspects we will need to work on in order to realise our dream. We started the day with Winston’s inspiring talk and discussion on Resilience, which was both eye-opening and moving, inviting us all to consider how adversity can actually work in our favour.

Sue and me then guided the groups through identifying key areas where small changes could make radical shifts. We focused heavily on our mindset about our strengths and identifying these in ourselves and our business. Demir and Carey’s second talk offered further insight into the ‘nuts and bolts’ of how they structured their business – and their productivity tips had the group scribbling furiously about task-batching and outsourcing!

A great day of perspective and positivity gained from identifying key improvements. All finished off with a gorgeous dinner… and a spot of karaoke round the dinner table in the evening.

Implementation

On day three we focused on the HOW of implementing change. I wanted to give everyone at the event not only a plan but the tools to understand the psychology of change. So that they could leverage this to their advantage. Consequently, Sue and I covered the psychology of change and influencers of change. Plus a few of my amazing tips and tricks to help everyone improve their work productivity.

Then, it was all about the plan! My workshop focused on developing a goal statement, three outcome goals and three habits per outcome goal. Or, more simply, a 1:3:3 plan. This plan combined all of the foundational work covered in the previous three days. Consequently, each person was able to execute nine key habits/actions consistently over the next twelve weeks to get them closer to their ‘Dream Day’ from Friday. The results were incredible, with multiple ‘light bulb moments’ as all the pieces from the preceding days slotted into place!

A workshop in action.

Free Time

There was time to play too: each afternoon after lunch there were no workshops. I think it was important to allow the attendees ‘switch off’ time to process the morning workshops and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. In the evenings we gathered in the grand dining room to enjoy delicious food – from a fabulous Cumbrian banquet to the best that Italy could offer on Friday and tasty Spanish tapas on Saturday. We indulged in chat, stories, laughter, and the odd sing-song!

Evenings were spent by candlelight round the table. And by the fire later in the evening we enjoyed some fun downtime together, reflecting on the day’s work, sharing our thoughts and dreams, and enjoying a glass of wine or dram of whisky in splendid surroundings with fantastic company.

We arrived as strangers but left as friends for life. It was with a heavy heart that we packed up on Sunday evening to make our way to our respective homes. Together, we had created a toolkit for success, plans for the future and the knowledge that we were all in it together. I received long heartfelt hugs from everyone that attended, with thanks and feedback of ‘this was life changing for me’. That means the world to me!

And Now

Now, we will be continuing the support with the eight-week online support. And I cannot wait to hear about the leaps people are making with their new implementation plans and vision for the future. It is very exciting!

I put my absolute all into the event. It was months of planning. From the selection of the business retreat attendees to the themed menu each night, from cover design on the journals to quote cards for each day, I had planned everything. I am enjoying a few days off now but am already planning the next event at the end of September.

Spaces are limited. So, if you are interested in attending this ‘life changing’ business retreat, drop me an email to be notified of the dates as soon as they are live!

In the meantime, check out how you can make change happen in your life with the HOW Skill Set.

We left ready to embrace change.