Presenting the “Weather Girls” (a.k.a. One-Hit Wonder) Retreat
It’s the day after the company retreat, and there’s a buzz in the air. Everywhere you look, people are engrossed in lively conversations.
“I
can’t believe I finally got up the nerve to ride the zip line.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard as I did watching our CEO’s karaoke rendition of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’!
“We’re going to have to recruit more muscle for the sales team so we can reclaim the Tug of War trophy at next years’ event.”
What’s wrong with this picture?
There’s lots of engagement and excitement but none of the energy is directed towards the objectives of your organization or delivering outstanding value to your customers.
We call this the “Engagement Without Objectives” scenario.
Now for the “Never Even Made It Onto the Charts” Retreat
It’s the day after the company retreat, and it feel like all the air has been sucked out of the room. On each desk; a fresh, 3-ring binder filled with sales figures, Gantt charts, projections, market surveys, customer surveys, employee surveys and a printout of the 247-slide PowerPoint deck presentation that was the highlight of the retreat. Goals, metrics, and performance criteria have all been carefully spelled out, and now it’s time to deliver.
Despite the CEO’s half-hearted end-of-the-day attempt at motivation (when most people would rather be sitting on a bar stool sipping a margarita), no one really has any sense of how they’re going to get from here to there.
We call this the “Objectives without Engagement” scenario.
What’s the alternative? How can we create an event that is interactive, energizing and memorable, and at the same time creates sustainable change tied directly to your mission, vision and objectives?
Introducing the “Aretha Franklin” (a.k.a. Lifetime Achievement Award) Retreat
Step 1 – Identify the Challenge (The Framework)
What is one significant challenge or opportunity facing your organization today? Perhaps you’ve become so process heavy people feel strangled and there’s no room for improvement. Or you’ve become siloed and there’s a lack of cross-functional collaboration. Or perhaps you’ve become complacent and you’d like to create a culture of creativity. Once identified, that challenge becomes the framework for the retreat.
Step 2 – Know Your “Why”
Clarify why this challenge is important. Why does it matter if you adopt a program of continual improvement, or if the sales team and the operations team are collaborating to create an outstanding customer experience? Why are creativity and innovation critical components of your competitive advantage? Be prepared to communicate your why in a clear and compelling way when you come together.
Step 3 – Identify Your Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Ask yourself: if this event were wildly successful, at the end of the day, what would be different? What would people have learned? What would they start doing that they’re not doing now, or what would they stop doing that isn’t working anymore?
Step 4 – Follow Up
It’s relatively easy to do things differently when you’re away from the office in a controlled environment set up to encourage alternative ways of interacting. It’s a different animal under the pressures of the workplace. To keep the momentum going, follow up is crucial. Let the group design what needs to happen next, set actionable goals and identify how they can take ownership of their piece of the puzzle.
Step 5 – Track Your Success
Devise ways to track success. Keep tabs on what’s working and what’s not and use the information to inform your next effort.
Step 6 – Hire a Professional
Design and delivery of training and development programs is an art and a science. Given the time and money you’re investing in the day; don’t skimp on the one piece that translates to return on investment: program design and facilitation. To insure your next event not only rises to the top of the charts, but becomes part of a long and illustrious development culture, give us a call. Click the Contact Us button.
We’re here and ready to assist.
