Sunday, February 23, 2025
It’s that time of year again – the annual management retreat. It’s at an exciting venue, and you’re looking forward to a great time. There is a fun behind-the-scenes tour of a local business, several gourmet meals from a Michelin-starred chef, and to top it all off, a ton of frequent flyer miles.
It’s that time of year again – the annual management retreat. It’s at an exciting venue, and you’re looking forward to a great time. There is a fun behind-the-scenes tour of a local business, several gourmet meals from a Michelin-starred chef, and to top it all off, a ton of frequent flyer miles.
Here’s an inconvenient question: Is there something missing from this description? How about ANYTHING related to the purpose and goals of the retreat itself?
The rationale for making the substantial investment in a retreat should be front and centre. And yes, “fun” can be one of the goals. But consider the other possibilities:
- To solve a specific business problem
- To work on the strategic plan (or implementation plans)
- To synchronize leadership after a merger or acquisition
- To orient a management team with a new CEO
- To explore (or shift) corporate culture
- To improve communication, collaboration, or teamwork
- To build stronger interpersonal relationships
Each of these are very difficult to do during the regular course of the day, as most leaders are in the trenches, working on the urgent, often by themselves or with their direct reports. There isn’t adequate time to focus on the important, especially when the important requires collaboration with your peers.
For the retreat to be impactful – and stick – the agenda, planning, pre-work, post-retreat follow-up, etc must be tied directly to the objective of that specific retreat.
This week’s action plan:
Think about your last two retreats: was the rationale for the retreat front and centre? And were results actually achieved? Most will admit that it is possible to do better. This week, consider your next retreat and shake it up: what needs to change to make a difference? Is it the venue? The facilitator? The agenda? The pre-prep? (Hint: it probably isn’t the location.)
Related Posts: The Expectations Gap: What Clients ask for vs what they need
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