Am I Learning to Switch Off?

I’ve just returned from two weeks in Kefalonia – a proper holiday, not a 'working from a sunnier location' trip. I’ve long championed the importance of disconnecting: putting the phone down, closing the laptop, ignoring the stream of emails and notifications from social platforms. I’d say I’m about 80% good at it. Not perfect – but good enough that I can genuinely step away and recharge.

And I also believe two weeks are far better than one. The first week is about unwinding, allowing the shoulders to drop, the pace to slow, and the mind to detach from business. It’s only in the second week that you really begin to recharge, to regain perspective, and to feel energised again.

“But what if everything falls apart when I’m not there?”

My answer: if your business disintegrates when you take a fortnight off, then it isn’t the holiday that’s the problem – it’s the way you’re running the business. Training, empowerment, autonomy and trust aren’t optional extras; they’re the foundations of effective leadership. If you can’t step away, then perhaps you need to take a hard look in the mirror.

Now, with my hospitality background, there’s always the question: am I still a nightmare to dine out with? Possibly. But I am getting better. I’ve learnt to let go of the small things. Still, when the basics are ignored, it’s hard not to get frustrated. Genuine hospitality, I’ve always said, cures almost everything. On this holiday we experienced the full spectrum – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

There were moments of brilliance, where staff were so warm, authentic and attentive that it elevated the whole experience. There were also moments where the lack of care was obvious, where we were treated as little more than a transaction. And then, of course, there were the painful encounters – the individuals who quite simply should never have been customer-facing. If you dislike people, if the interaction feels like a burden, then hospitality really isn’t the job for you.

Reflecting on it, I began to categorise the staff we encountered into three groups:

Stressed and Overwhelmed – running around frantically, clearly without the support or systems they needed.
Pleasant enough but Robotic – polite and functional, but with little spark of genuine connection.
Genuinely Hospitable – those individuals who, whatever the circumstance, make you feel welcome, valued and comfortable.

Yes, systems and processes are important, but they only go so far. Attitude, care and mindset win every time. That’s why I've always said: recruit for personality and attitude first; everything else can be trained.

So, am I learning to switch off? I think so. Kefalonia gave me the space to reflect, recharge and remind myself that businesses don’t collapse because we take time away. If anything, they should thrive all the more when we’ve given our teams the tools, the trust and the autonomy to run things without us.

With this in mind, how would you rate your summer break?

- Antony Penny