All too often, executive retreats can feel more like a visit to the dentist, says Mary Tomlinson, president of On-Purpose Partners in Orlando, Fla., a business consulting and communications company. Tomlinson, a former Disney executive, suggests the following solutions to some commonly painful scenarios.
- Lost in the ’60s. Without predetermined objectives, participants come with their own agendas or none at all. The meeting goes nowhere, and nothing gets accomplished. Solution: Prioritize and determine key objectives. Get input from managers and prioritize the goals. Establish a bar to measure success.
- Eyes are bigger than the stomach. Don’t stuff 20 pounds of potatoes into a five-pound bag. Too much on the agenda doesn’t provide discussion time for such heavies as the 10-year vision and next year’s plan. Solution: Reduce expectations, and choose one to three objectives that can be thoroughly discussed in the time allotted. Participants will know their opinions matter, and genuine results will emerge.
- I can’t see clearly now. If attendees come prepared to discuss Operation Hawaii, but now the topic is Project Antarctica, the retreat is going in the wrong direction. If the team isn’t sure why they are showing up, some people may shut down. (Note crossed arms, rolling eyes, loud sighing, and slouching in chairs.) Solution: Communicate retreat topics, objectives and goals clearly so participants will be ready for lively discussion and debate. Preparation is the mother of spontaneity.
- Boss as facilitator. If the boss runs the discussion, participants will likely deliver the same old answers. Solution: Use a professional facilitator who will promote open conversation by asking provocative questions that yield fresh ideas. The more the boss talks, the less everyone else will.
- The boss assumes too much. Does everyone know all they need to know about opinions and interpersonal dynamics at work in the group? Unless you change more than the geography of the meeting, you’re likely to get the same power plays and office politics at the retreat that you have in the office. Solution: Work with an objective third party to develop a pre-retreat survey that provides an equal voice for all, so ideas get aired and the retreat can be customized to deal with real issues that may be otherwise invisible to the boss.
- Peacekeeping instead of resolving. Fireworks may fly among the group’s stronger personalities who are committed to their own ideas. Solution: Regard fireworks as helpful, because they are sure signs that passion and creative energy are in the room. An expert facilitator will keep discussion going and under control, sometimes by getting the boss and another exec to deal with hot topics prior to the retreat. Each one takes opposing positions on the issue regardless of their personal stance, and they use their “rehearsed” position to promote fruitful discussions at the retreat.
- Organizational memory loss. The deadliest retreat sin is no follow-up. No memos to summarize decisions made and assign action items get offered. Periodic checkups on progress made with action items are absent. The organization therefore wastes time and money, and misses opportunities. Solution: Regard the end of the retreat as a beginning. Before its close, state the next steps clearly, assign projects and determine a follow-up timetable.