Organizational Retreats Take WISE Planning
Post-pandemic, the very nature of work is being redefined, and managers would be smart to get out in front of the waves. With greater and much-needed attention to employee wellness, how can productivity and work-life balance harmoniously coexist? After years of telecommuting, what is the best way to design workspaces that maximize creativity and collaboration? Given the growing quest for purposefulness that shapes the kinds of jobs people seek (and leave), how can leadership best attract, retain, and develop staff?
In this new work world order, it’s time for companies large and small to reexamine and reset their relationships with employees. An organizational retreat can help do that.
A retreat can be an incredibly effective forum for pivoting in new, challenging, and invigorating ways. It can be a catalyst for employees to recognize their strengths and recommit themselves to the mission and vision. Retreats can be motivational, inspiring, and even fun.
Or, a retreat can be a waste of time. Worse still, a retreat can backfire, creating unnecessary noise and tension, if not planned thoughtfully.
I’ve seen my fair share of retreats, as both participant and facilitator, and I can vouch for the importance of preparation in delivering a meaningful outing. Preparation goes far beyond bringing enough sticky notes. It’s about setting the right tone, telling a compelling story, and achieving buy-in from even your most curmudgeonly participant.
Be intentional and strategic about your organizational retreat. Be WISE.
Why? Whether your retreat is a few hours or a couple of days long, be clear about why you are investing time, energy, and resources. It helps to be a little self-skeptical in the planning process. Why are you choosing this medium rather than an interoffice memo or a standard all-staff meeting? What is your message, and why now? What is your desired outcome? Ask yourself as many why-related questions as possible to construct an iron-clad agenda that conveys value add to participants.
Interactive. Retreats aren’t lectures. Give staff opportunities to think together, work together, and build camaraderie in unique, stimulating ways. Involve your participants – “participants,” not “spectators” – as much as possible. That means designing interactive sessions that incorporate team-based feedback, visioning, brainstorming, situational assessment, or scenario planning, for example. Make room for informal elbow-rubbing and water cooler talk; this helps build connection and trust more organically.
Strategic. Carefully choreograph the content and flow of the retreat. What are the objectives for each session, and how do they serve the overall purpose of the gathering? Map out not just what you want to cover but how you want participants to respond both intellectually and emotionally at each inflection point. Consider too how the momentum from the retreat will carry on and guide future processes. Employees will readily perceive (and resent) if your retreat feels one-off and rudderless.
Energizing. Take full advantage of your participants’ natural talents and motivations. Get your staff excited about their work. After all, it’s their energy that can make or break the organizational mission. Create plenty of space for reflection, sharing, congratulations, appreciation, and fun. Savvy facilitation can transform the retreat experience and leave participants eager to work better together.
The more you put into the development of your retreat, the more you and your staff will get out of it. Do it right, and they’ll be clamoring for the next one.
Thinking about designing a retreat? We can help. Contact us for a free consultation to determine what level of engagement and resources are right for your organizational needs. Click here to connect with us.
