LHi Gift of Time Spotlight: George Davies’s Adventure

At LHi, we believe in celebrating loyalty and recognising the incredible contributions of our people. After ten years of service, every LHi’er receives a Gift of Time; the choice between a Rolex or a one-month sabbatical. It’s our way of saying thank you and giving back something truly meaningful.

Having been with LHi for over ten years, George Davies, Head of Lawrence Harvey USA, recently decided to use his Gift of Time. We caught up with him to hear all about his experience, from how he made the most of his time to the reflections and insights he gained along the way:

Did you choose the Rolex or the one-month sabbatical, and what made that the right choice for you?

I chose the month-long sabbatical. Not sure when I will ever get that opportunity again and have never taken so much time to completely switch off from work, so jumped at the chance!!

Your sabbatical took you from a golf road trip around Southern California to three weeks in Bali. How did you decide on that itinerary? 

Bali has been a bit of dream of mine for a while, but it is so far away from LA that I had been saving it to be able to spend at least 3 weeks there. My partner grew up there and it has some of the best surfing in the world, so I had been planning that trip for ages.

The golf trip was something that I said to my Dad (half-jokingly) fairly recently, but when we realized we could make it work, we booked it straight away! 

You packed a lot into the month, what was the standout moment for you and why? 

Such a hard question to answer. The Golf/road trip with my Dad was so special as we have never been able to do something like that before and to be able to spend so much time with him, whilst playing some of the best golf courses around, being joined by some of my friends and even taking him to a music festival to see some of our favorite DJs was cool.

For Bali, I had such high expectations and somehow it overdelivered. There were so many highlights: surfing at Padang Padang, 2am hike to the top of a volcano to watch sunrise and snorkeling with turtles at sunset were probably the standouts.

How long did it take to fully disconnect, and what did you learn from the experience? 

I had made an agreement with myself that I was going to delete all work related apps on my phone as soon as the month kicked-off and had the very best team jumping in to support whilst I was out.

So with all that, it was actually very easy to completely switch off because everyone was stepping up to help, which I am hugely grateful for.

Looking back, what does the 'Gift of Time' mean to you now?

It’s an opportunity for you to be fully present with the people you’re closest to and experience things you have dreamed of. It’s a great opportunity to reflect on what you have achieved in the 10 years at LHi and the amazing adventure of it all.

Did the break give you any new perspectives or lessons that you’ve carried into your everyday life or work?

That my team don’t really need me, because the performance last month was so good lol. In all seriousness, that we work as hard as we do to be able to have experiences like that and a bit of reminder that switching off is important to keep you feeling mentally refreshed!

What advice would you give to someone approaching their own Gift of Time and deciding how to spend it

Take the month off! It’s a brilliant benefit that is so unique in our industry and gives you a platform to do that thing you have always wanted to do!