John Roussot, Global Commercial Capability Director with consumer goods company RB Health,

“I am passionate about excellence, leadership development and liberating greatness in individuals and teams which was why I was interested in attending Exclusive Collection’s South Lodge hotel in June. Taking Exclusive’s four pillars as its basis: wellness, innovation, sustainability and high performing teams, the focus of the event was on what businesses can learn from high performing teams. In particular, it looked at how the quality of resilience can relate to business, especially in uncertain and challenging economic times.

I particularly enjoyed the content on personal resilience by rugby union coach Eddie Jones and also Jo Hopkins, IDG associate consultant’s presentation on The Business Athlete, which again reinforced what the corporate world can take from sport in terms of creating and sustaining high-performance and high satisfaction among your staff. This covered everything from physiological elements such as getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy diet to trying a digital detox and practicing mindfulness.

The environment in which proceedings throughout the day and evening were held really fitted the bill too, with lots of natural light in the main room, giving delegates access to daylight instead of being in a dark, airless conference suite. Attendees could also use South Lodge’s outdoor facilities as well, so there was ample opportunity for us to get a bit of fresh air and also have a chat and network at the same time. 

South Lodge’s management team also practiced what was being preached in terms of wellness, with a concerted emphasis on healthy eating, both during the working lunch and also during dinner. The presence of nuts and blueberries instead of the usual sweet treats and plenty of water to keep us hydrated throughout the event was also appreciated. It’s very much in line with the optimum performance-orientated focus of the event and meant we were able to concentrate fully throughout the day.

It wasn’t just the delegates who were given the means to perform to the best of their ability.  I’m reminded of the quote by renowned leadership expert John C. Maxwell who said ‘Everything rises and falls on leadership’. It’s wonderful to see focus and commitment to developing as leaders, and by extending their influence, bringing like-minded people together to learn and grow. When it comes to the team at the Exclusive Collection, they’ve successfully hired nice people with good hearts and a sincere desire to serve, providing an excellent experience and building sincere relationships. And the result is not a mystery… excellent service! I’m grateful to be on that journey with them.  It was an outstanding experience at South Lodge. I want to congratulate them on what I thought was an excellent event with IDG and Eddie Jones, and I thought David and the South Lodge team did a superb job of hosting the event. I’m really looking forward to the next one with Jonny Wilkinson”