Pushing yourself: how can you push your limits and realise your potential? An interview with Laurent Cordaillat

Does pushing yourself to the limit necessarily mean stepping outside your comfort zone and constantly pushing your boundaries further? To Laurent Cordaillat, there is another way: expanding your comfort zone, learning to manage your fears more effectively and moving forward without suffering unnecessarily.

An adventurer who has visited more than 80 countries – notably on expeditions to the Arctic – and an entrepreneur with over 30 years’ experience in French-speaking Switzerland, he shares in this interview the lessons he has learnt from his journey. In particular, he reflects on a significant professional challenge, resilience, a positive attitude and the role of leading by example in leadership.

A discussion centred on one key idea: making progress does not necessarily mean pushing yourself too hard, but learning to identify what matters and taking the first step.

Pushing oneself beyond one’s limits is often associated with the desire to succeed or to rise to challenges. What does pushing oneself beyond one’s limits really mean to you, and when did you realise how important this is in your personal or professional life?

An adventurer who has visited over 80 countries, including several expeditions to the Arctic, and an entrepreneur for over 30 years in French-speaking Switzerland, my «hands-on» experience has taught me that it is better for us as people – and far more effective – to develop our «zone of trust» rather than seeking to step outside our «comfort zone». I realised very early on that problems do not exist in nature; they are a human invention, and that only challenges arise throughout our lives and projects: if our self-confidence is greater than these challenges, we succeed without suffering unnecessarily.

You have had a variety of experiences throughout your professional and entrepreneurial career. Is there a particular challenge that forced you to step outside your comfort zone and that profoundly changed the way you see things?

My biggest professional shock was being sacked from my job as CEO, suddenly on the day my daughter was born, my wife, who was the HR Director, was also sacked at the same time, to make way for my «loyal deputy» of 10 years, who sold himself out to the owner with an Excel spreadsheet! Yesterday I learnt that the company had gone into liquidation, which saddened me. That was in 2011; at the time, I wrote a novel, *Game Over*, to combat my intense sense of victimisation and free myself from destructive thoughts – and it worked!

Pushing yourself to your limits sometimes means facing fear, doubt or failure. How can you learn to keep moving forward despite these obstacles without letting them paralyse you?

Fear is necessary; it is the fear of fear which is pointless. It resides in our egos (as a mental projection) but is also imprinted on our bodies. That is why, for the past 12 years, I have incorporated mountain excursions into my coaching programmes, led by my friends who are mountain guides. My expertise lies in mentally clearing away psychological clutter and then building self-confidence, but step by step, without allowing fear to take hold.

Resilience is a quality often discussed in the context of personal development. In your view, is it really possible to learn how to bounce back after a setback or a difficult period? What habits can help to develop this ability?

Yes, of course, and here’s my formula magical : to clarify what is essential and get rid of the excess, to learn to keep one’s ego in check and adopt a positive attitude, and to add physical exercise to this. As a reminder, I have been an author and speaker for over 20 years in the field of applying a positive attitude and I teach it, and I am also the inventor of a method registered with WIPO for understanding the ego (Egology).

In the world of work, how can one strike the right balance between the ambition to get ahead, the desire to push one’s limits and respect for one’s own needs?

My sense of balance can be summed up in a single word: freedom. It acts as my compass, my safety net and my source of motivation! Then I draw on love, forgiveness and the enthusiasm that comes from gratitude.

Is pushing oneself beyond one’s limits primarily an individual endeavour, or can we help others to realise their potential? What role can leadership and a manager’s attitude play in this process?

As I see it, I draw a distinction between managing and demonstrating leadership. It seems to me that in this day and age, we no longer need managers who motivate people to be motivated 🙂 but leaders who … are committed and lead by example. Inspiration comes from the lead climber, not from theories about what is or isn’t possible. Nor do I think it’s essential to push yourself to the limit, let alone suffer. There are lifts available rather than having to struggle up vertical, rocky paths.

To conclude, what advice would you give to someone who wants to change direction, take on a new challenge or regain confidence in their abilities, but who hasn’t yet plucked up the courage to take that first step?

My most valuable piece of advice is to get out and about, to get moving – which means meeting new people, because the world is vast and the opportunities are endless. But you still have to make the effort, particularly by taking an interest in others … so that they, in turn, take an interest in you.

Further reading

Would you like to develop your skills, boost your confidence and take your career to the next level? Discover the training courses offered by OSAM and find the one that suits your career goals.

Visit our website: OSAM