It feels really special when you have a whole bunch of like-minded, growth-mindset people come together as strangers and leave as friends. At each of our Nurture retreats, I enjoy watching connections grow, great learnings sink in, and light bulbs go off in an environment that’s focused on how to create a better business, be a better leader, a healthier person, and a better human being all-round.
Our Nurture speakers go a long way to creating that environment. It’s impossible not to feel buoyed and inspired by those who are world champions, community legends, leadership gurus, extremely successful entrepreneurs, or simply the acknowledged best in their field.
So, what lessons and learnings stood out to me at our first Nurture retreat since Covid? A lot (ha) but here are my greatest hits…
1 – Be resilient and stay true to your passion.
The best of the best were not simple, overnight successes. Like all of us, they experienced their fair share of knockbacks, both personally and in business. The thing that sets successful people apart from the majority of us is their commitment to learning from what does not work, to maintaining their passion for what they believe so deeply in, to being creative in how to keep moving forward, and to getting yes as an answer (even if they have to ask 31 times). Nobody successful got there easily. It took a mammoth commitment and effort and perseverance. A big reminder for me was that you need to make sure you have people around you who can help you to maintain your passion for what you know to be true. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child – the same is true for successful people; they only get to where they get to because of the team that they have around them. How can you improve and grow the team around you so that the support behind you is that much stronger?
2 – The rewards are sweeter when you’re a good person.
Yes, not every successful person is a good person (some are the opposite) but how much more fun and satisfying would it to be to be both successful and a good person?! In business, if you and your team stand out as being good people, you are massively upping your chance of achieving all that you can achieve. People love working for good people (and will try harder for you). Suppliers love dealing with good people. Customers love dealing with good people. Media support good people and good businesses doing good. You should be the same person at both home and work. Too often we hear of successful people not being so successful in their home life, so be conscious of being good to your family, too. At Nurture, Radek Sali (award-winning ex-CEO of Swisse Vitamins) said, ‘What we put out into the universe we get back like an echo’. Have you ever considered the definition of a good person? I suggest it is worth fifteen minutes of your time to define the sort of good person you want to be.
3 – Business success is not overnight.
So often I come across people who want Usain Bolt-speed success but business is a marathon. Unless you win business Lotto, there is no 9.58-second route to business glory. I loved the concept Dan Ferguson, chief marketing officer of Adore Beauty, shared called ‘positive dissatisfaction’. Effectively, it is all those things that frustrate you and hold you back that you want to/need to do something about – he suggests you take them and turn them into positives via incremental improvements. We all have so many things (I’m talking bigger than trivial) that we turn a blind eye to in both business and life – instead of gritting your teeth and ignoring them, follow Dan’s lead and create a list and then work through them one by one. It’s a satisfying feeling taking control and fixing such annoyances and then watching your business (and no doubt life) get better and better as you improve those important cogs that help you move closer to the business marathon finish line. My challenge to you is to create this living list of things that are holding you back and then prioritise them and do something about them.
4 – Truly (truly) consider how you can perform better…
Yes I agree this is pretty obvious, but how much time do you actually put into thinking deeply about how you can perform better? How do you hold yourself accountable to actually do the mahi to get better? Women’s rugby legend Stacey Waaka (Fluhler) said stepping out of your comfort zone is a huge part of performing better. It is so easy to just stay in your safe place. I’m personally guilty of this and often only move if I have someone like my wife Sip pushing me. Do you have the right people around you to help you get out of your comfort zone? Holly Ransom said to identify your courage zone. In what parts of your personal and/or business life do you need to get out of your comfort zone and into your courage zone? How can you address what is blocking you from moving into your courage zone?
5 – Be the leader you wish you had.
I personally quote this well-researched fact a lot: 60% of your team’s success comes down to your ability as a leader. You are the biggest determinant of whether your business and/or team is going to be successful! You can’t leave your leadership to chance; you have to be intentional. One of the jobs of a leader is to listen to your doubts and take heed of your gut feeling. A leader needs to do both offence and defence. A leader needs to sort stuff out – do you? A leader needs to create a habit of getting comfortable being uncomfortable (thanks, Holly). You need to ooze trust as a leader. Paul Roos (our Nurture business partner and AFL legend) shared how trust is an action and we build or lose trust through our actions. Brooke Roberts (Sharesies founder) said the best view of your leadership is how you react under pressure.
6 – Make the most of you.
What is your perfect routine? All of us are different and our level of forward movement will be very related to the routine we personally live so get the best routine that suits you. Make the most of your highest energy times to do your highest value and most challenging work. Such an easy concept but it takes determination to do. Holly Ransom (an absolute leadership guru who is rated the # 1 speaker in Australia, three years running) shared that 80% of people do not positively change things in 4 weeks’ time, even knowing they should. What different things might you be doing in 4 weeks’ time that would make you even better at who you are and what you do? Will you be amongst the 20% who actually will do these things? If you are in the 80%, how might you change your natural tendency to be slack? Where you are today is a function of all of your habits over the years. Holly shared how we do meetings on a Monday which is arguably not that smart given Monday morning is the lowest Circadian rhythm we humans have… Mondays often suck (psyche-wise) yet we have the most important meetings of the week then, when arguably they’d be better on a different day when we have more energy, positivity and oomph. Overall you need to know what energises you and what drains you — and then do what energises you.
In Holly’s closing words: Your future is defined by what you do today, not tomorrow.
You had to be there to get the full impact but in summary, a Nurture retreat is all about how you can be a better you in all facets of your life, noting when life beyond business goes better, usually your business goes better, too. An awesome knock-on effect.
Our 2023 Nurture retreat scored 9.81 out of 10 with a net promoter score of 93% meaning attendees get so much out of it personally and for their business. You have to experience one (or six as some of our attendees have done) to really understand the profound impact it will have on you. Our next retreat is in Fiji on October 24 to 28, 2024. Book your spot now; we guarantee you will love it. Thank you to all our amazing speakers, attendees and team (especially my powerhouse wife, Sip) in 2023 — you all combined to make one incredible, life changing memorable event.
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