PLANNING A LEADERSHIP RETREAT | NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RETREAT GETAWAYS

Mar 11

Studies show that employees are more productive and motivated when they feel a greater sense of involvement in establishing their organization’s goals and ideals. A carefully-planned retreat motivates employees and enlists their creative participation in setting goals and contributing to decisions. For this reason, it’s essential that your leadership team focus from the outset on building relationships that work. To cultivate the proper environment for idea sharing, brainstorming, and team spirit building, it’s necessary to give careful consideration to your meeting environment.

If you have questions about how to host a retreat, this is the place for you. Read on for tips to plan a leadership retreat.

INVITE THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR THE LEADERSHIP RETREAT

Consider carefully who on your team should share in guiding your business’s success. Ask yourself: Are key opinion leaders present, or at least represented? Make sure all the key players your can attend the retreat to avoid gaps in business planning.

PLAN THE RETREAT WITH A GOAL IN MIND

Keep a clear purpose in mind of what you want to accomplish. Then, make sure to communicate that purpose with a published agenda and overview that you distribute to retreat invitees prior to the event. The overall goal in organizing and following through on a leadership retreat is to facilitate your business’s success. When done right, retreats provide a powerful environment to gain alignment, make decisions, and increase commitment.

CAREFULLY CONSIDER YOUR RETREAT LOCATION

Choose an environment that will be conducive to your purpose. For example, if the point of your retreat is to focus on improving quality, take your leadership team somewhere that they can get outside of the day to day to focus on the big picture. Off-site locations are a great way to get everyone out of the office and away from daily interruptions. Beautiful locations can help get everyone in the mindset of unplugging and focusing on what really matters.

TAILOR YOUR RETREAT

Tailor your retreat to your company’s interests and knowledge base by soliciting ideas and giving each participant one or more retreat-related tasks to accomplish before, during, and after the event. If your team believes they’re contributing, they’ll take ownership in making the event a success and everyone will grow and learn as a result.

HIRE SOME HELP AT YOUR RETREAT

Consider bringing in an objective outside facilitator to help increase productivity and make the day run smoother. Or, if you are more into doing it yourself, make sure tasks such as cooking are taken care of by a great caterer so that your team can focus on what matters. Select a menu of good foods and build in time for everyone to network and socialize a little. A comfortable setting supplied with tasty food increases your odds of everyone bonding and contributing their ideas.

FOLLOW UP ON DECISIONS MADE AT RETREAT

Plan a follow-up to the retreat once you’re back at the office. Setting a date for team members to report on their actions will create commitment and increase the likelihood of things getting done. Be sure to get feedback on what can be further improved upon at the next retreat.

PLAN YOUR LEADERSHIP RETREAT WITH MOUNTAIN SHADOWS

Our intention for Mountain Shadows is to create an environment that connects our guests with the amazing natural beauty of the Foresthill Divide, providing the perfect setting to celebrate, experience and love. Most importantly, we want you to create priceless memories that last forever.

Laura Levin