Have you scheduled a retreat for your leadership team now that the new year is underway? A well-planned and properly executed retreat with your team will stretch their minds, improve communications, refresh their spirits and rally them around your organizational objectives. What is a retreat? Paraphrasing Merriam-Webster, a retreat is withdrawing from difficult work to a safe place in order to study with a leader.
Running a business is tough. There is no end to the amount of work that could be done to stay ahead of the competition. The work can consume us if we allow it to. We all need a break ó a time to get away and clear our minds. Withdrawal is the first essential step in retreat planning and should be scheduled at least annually for a couple of days. The venue doesn't have to be far from the workplace, but it must be different from the workplace. It should be casual and comfortable, with no trappings of authority or power. Overnight stays are recommended, and communicating with the office strongly discouraged. Business phone calls and e-mails are not allowed. You and your leadership team should not only withdraw from the daily grind but gain altitude as well. Climb out of the weeds for a few days and gain perspective on what's most important for your business and for yourselves.
Simply withdrawing to a different place is not enough. For an effective retreat, the location must be safe. Safety means that everyone can be free to express his or her views without fear of reprisal. The retreat is a time and a place where genuine conversations can occur and truth can be found. The CEO's hunting cabin is not a safe place. The CFO's country club is not a safe place. A small hotel in another town, a rustic lodge in the woods, a professionally operated retreat center óthose can be safe places.
The most important element of a successful retreat is studying with a leader. What should you study? Any topic that will improve your ability to lead as a team. You might explore each other's temperaments and consider strategies for communicating more effectively. You could participate in ropes courses to challenge and sharpen your ability to solve problems as a team. You might challenge the organization's strategy in view of the rapidly changing business climate. Or, you might delve into a book like The Black Swan to consider how seemingly improbable events might reshape your business overnight. Every member of your team is (or should be) a leader. However, none of you should lead the retreat. A trained facilitator from inside or outside your organization should be your guide. All team members, including the CEO, must dedicate their energy to being a member of the team and not get distracted by facilitating. Also, a trained facilitator can challenge everyone on the team and their ideas without prejudice.
Well-executed leadership retreats are exhilarating. Executives leave with deeper appreciation, understanding and respect for their colleagues. Their minds are rested but expanded with new knowledge and ways of thinking. Their bodies are tired yet invigorated after conquering the ropes courses. They come away with a clear picture of the organization's vision and a renewed commitment to achieving the organization's objectives.
Have you planned your leadership retreat for 2008?
Louis Allegra is president of Allegra Management Consulting, Inc. He chairs CEO advisory boards in affiliation with Vistage International, the world's leading chief executive organization. Further information is available at www.Vistage.com.