February 28, 2005
Make the most of your offsite retreat
I spent the weekend at a client's cottage, where I participated in an offsite retreat organized by my client to brainstorm ideas for the future of their company, including business strategy, systems, marketing and human resources.
As is typical, we gathered in a remote locale, a physical manifestation of our desire to remove ourselves from the day-to-day minutiae of the business so we could focus on the big picture.
Of all such events I've attended, this one was the least naive (nobody thought we'd resolve every issue over the two days) and most focused on post-retreat execution. Because of this, we were able to use the time productively to share suggestions and feedback while allowing individual managers to develop action plans.
In particular, before piling into our cars to head back to the city we agreed to two key things: sending follow-up on our action items within a week, and a follow-up meeting shortly thereafter to discuss those plans. Obviously, the outcome won't be known for some time, and I will update this post if things get derailed.
That being said, the different feel of this retreat reminded me of a few key points about getting more value out of offsite retreats:
- It's about preparation
If you don't know why you're going or what success will look like, don't go. Spend time before the event to think about these issues, and make sure all the participants know what the goals are. - It's about execution
The big idea is useless if it can't be done: make sure at least some of the time is spent thinking about how to put the idea into action. In particular, think about whether there's a simpler way to achieve your goal: The Fisher Space Pen (Number 80 on Mobile PC magazine's list of the top 100 gadgets of all time) allowed U.S. astronauts to write in zero-G, but the soviets simply used a pencil. - It's about the ideas
That being said, good execution on the wrong ideas is useless. Make use of all the brainpower at your disposal, pick holes in the logic, play devil's advocate: nobody wins if everyone tries to be polite and lets ill-informed ideas become part of the business plan. If people in your group don't naturally do this, assign (rotating) responsibility for being the devil's advocate to members of the team. - It's about accountability
If an action item comes out of a discussion, make sure there's a name attached to it. "We should do this" is wishful thinking; "I will do this" is a promise. Agree to deadlines for individuals to meet their commitments, and hold each other accountable. - It's about setting priorities
A group of talented managers can generate a lot of good ideas over two days. Setting priorities is essential: it will allow you to focus on the action items that are most valuable to the business while establishing a roadmap to tackle other issues raised during the retreat. This is also the stage at which reality sets in and you realize that some of the things discussed may never happen because of limited resources. - It's about follow-up
Plan time to look back at the results: did you get what you wanted out of the retreat? Did the best ideas get put into action? Businesses routinely re-enact programs and activities without thinking about whether past efforts were successful.
What happened as a result of your last corporate retreat? If it was a success, what are you going to do to make sure the next one is even better? If it wasn't, why not?
Posted by kenking at February 28, 2005 8:01 AM
