Every week. I’m not tired. I can’t wait until Sunday to eat it. I order myself half a chicken. I eat my thigh and save my breast for my sandwiches and salads during the week. And I can’t wait to eat my sandwiches too! Here in the office, with the test kitchen, we have the opportunity to taste new dishes, I like that. But I always come back to my half chicken with fries and coleslaw. I’m a little conservative on this.
My best habit, I would say, is my morning discipline. I do my stretches. It’s not really yoga, but it’s like yoga [laughs]. It’s too strenuous, yoga. My worst habit… I have several. I wouldn’t call it the worst, but I should never smoke and sometimes I do. I allow myself to relax. I just have this to sort out and then my life will be perfect [laughs].
I haven’t understood the word “impossible” for a long time. Hearing that word still motivated me to move forward. I find it challenging.
Ken Follett is one of my favorite authors. I like historical novels. In The Pillars of the Earth there are a lot of historical facts, a lot of research. And for the film, it’s Forrest Gump. Nothing is impossible, especially if you let yourself be guided by life. Forrest, everything happened to him… by accident. He became the best runner in the world and also the best shrimp fisherman. It’s simple, candid. He succeeded despite himself.
I would tell myself to have more confidence in myself, in my ideas, in my way of doing things.
Precisely when I trusted myself. In 2006, I decided to create Benny
I drag my phone. This has become my “office” when I’m away. I often turn it off though. At night I want to have peace. On vacation, I don’t bring it either. Putting it down and picking it up again a few days later feels good. We didn’t have a cell phone before and we went about our lives.
A mix of both. In the morning, I go to the office. Around 1-1:30 p.m. I have dinner. I’m doing my walk. And now I’m ready to end my day at home. During the pandemic, I couldn’t come to the office because my team didn’t want me to take any risks. I “suffered” for three months at home [laughs]. I prefer to be in the office to take the pulse, to listen to people.
Listens, observes, understands, who is interested in people’s lives. I’ve been trying to improve myself to be a better boss for…40 years.
For me, it’s about going there gradually. Quietly delegate major responsibilities to the next generation. I want to withdraw gently. And above all, I have to try to find a passion, outside of family and business. It is complicated. In winter, skiing, and in summer, swimming. But that’s not a career. I will not become a ski champion tomorrow morning.