No tricks, just some (re)treat magic!
So your team’s thinking about having a retreat, eh?
Maybe you’ve got some big decisions to make, and you don’t seem to be making any progress at your standing meeting...
Maybe it’s been a real long time since you’ve all been together in person, and tensions have been flaring more than usual …
Maybe you’ve had your heads down and focused on the work so much that you’re losing sight of the big picture…
Whatever the case may be, I know that you want to plan a retreat that’s going to be well worth everyone’s time.
And, dream with me here for a second … What if it could also be deeply enjoyable? And, dare I say, even restorative?
Yes, it is possible! You can hold a team retreat that is wildly productive without harming anyone in the making.
Just DON’T follow these…
5 Traditional (read: BS) Team Retreat Rules ...
1. Go Big or Go Home
You rarely get dedicated time and space away from “the office” – time to step out of the weeds and into the bigger picture. So, of course you want to do it all during this precious time.
Strategic planning? You bet!
Tactical business planning? Absolutely.
Team-building? Yup, that too.
Can you do all of this in 1-2 days? Erm, no.
So, take that long retreat wish list of yours (it’s a good place to start!) ... and let’s do some pruning. Take one of the big topics your team wants to tackle (e.g. strategic planning) and translate it into a concrete outcome you can imagine achieving at your retreat (e.g. a draft of our top 5 strategic goals for next year).
Once you’ve developed a short list of desired outcomes, make sure you have a reasonable number to work towards with the time you have.
When it comes to retreat goals, less is more! (Trust me, I speak from many years of creating overly-ambitious retreat agendas)
2. Pack It In!
I’ve attended and (regretfully) planned too many retreats that start with breakfast at 7:30AM, jam as much work (and as few breaks) as possible between 9AM and 5PM, and end with a programmed dinner at the end of the day.
By the end of day one I’m exhausted and needing to muster up the energy to do it all again in the morning.
My latest team retreat schedule looked more like this …
7:00 Outdoor hike (optional)
8:30 Breakfast
9:15 Work block 1 (with 15 min break)
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Work block 2 (with 15 min break)
4:00 Down time
5:00 Foot soak (optional)
7:30 Dinner (no program)
And contrary to popular, capitalist belief, we achieved way more doing things this way. Our work blocks were focused, energized, and productive as hell, and our non-work blocks left us feeling refreshed, connected, and supported.
3. A Meeting of the Minds
I see a lot of team retreats follow the same format we use in standard work meetings – lots of thinking and talking. I call these “neck-up” retreats. And yes, you’ll need that smart noggin of yours to dream and plan for the future, but please don’t dismiss all the wisdom, energy, and power you and your colleagues carry from the neck down.
If you’re ready to bring your retreat to the next level, you’ll want to engage the whole body.
Instead of brainstorming (neck-up), can you invite people to draw a picture or source a metaphor that captures their visions and ideas (whole body)?
After sharing thoughts about next year’s priorities (neck-up), can you have everyone tune into their energy and feel which options feel most resonant and alive (whole body)?
Take dance breaks! (whole body)
Write stories! (whole body)
Ready poetry! (whole body)
Get quiet and listen to your intuition (whole body!)
You’ll be amazed at how much more becomes possible.
4. MUST STAY CONNECTED (said in robot voice)
At our last team retreat, I must have felt the temptation to check my email no fewer than 5,674 times over 48 hours.
One little peek won’t hurt, right?
Thankfully experience has taught me otherwise, and I gently reminded myself (over and over again) …
This is my time to be present.
Email will cloud my vision and focus.
If it’s important enough, they’ll call.
If you have the ability to step away from email for the length of your retreat, I highly recommend it. Your dreams will become bigger without the worry of the day-to-day. Your stress levels will continue to decrease, rather than jumping back up when you take a look at your inbox.
And if you or members of your team don’t have the luxury to unplug, see if you can create time-bound email blocks when people can check in. And support everyone to transition back into retreat mode with some music, movement, or intention setting.
5. More, More, More
When you and your team are in the zone, you’re going to dream up all sorts of possibilities for your work and mission. And I’m not here to rain on that parade. Please, weave together beautiful visions ... push the edge of what’s possible … say YES to new, innovative ideas and programs.
And once you’ve got those dreams out on paper and in your cells, make sure you have time to get realistic with it.
Out of everything you’ve explored, what’s the most important work for you to do next year?
What’s possible with the resources you have (or the resources you have plans to grow)?
And - maybe the toughest question to wrestle down - what will we say no to?
What will we stop doing to make way for something new?
Now, over to you, dear leader! What retreat rules have served you well and which are you ready to break? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
May we all retreat in ways that are wildly productive and deeply fulfilling.
