Planning a Productive Retreat



Learn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Planning a Productive Retreat article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

What value is there in leadership or team-building retreats? Just consider the following.

  • An executive committee of an association, deliberating on strategic planning issues, identified “who we are” in terms of their membership. By focusing on the challenges and opportunities represented by certain membership segments, the committee created specific strategic initiatives for the upcoming year.
  • A 17 person CPA firm structured their most recent annual meeting to encourage greater teamwork by addressing the issues of 1) misinformation between management and staff and 2) lack of clarity around the firm’s goals, direction, and image. The results included improved productivity, enhanced esprit-de-corps, and most important, the understanding by every person of his or her role in supporting the firm’s strategic business objectives.
  • Encouraged by the informal setting of a retreat, a team, behind schedule on an important project, finally brought out into the open its concerns about the leader’s way of handling disagreements. By examining the different methods of managing conflicts, the team came up with a process that would encourage divergent thinking and, at the same time, focus on how to make well-thought out decisions regarding the project.

    • Leadership or team-building retreats for an executive committee, a board of directors or a project team can provide substantial return on investment for an organization or business, especially during times of change. Here’s how to plan a productive retreat that ensures meaningful interaction, as well as, lasting results.

    Create a special environment.
    Participants need to feel relaxed and comfortable. The informal atmosphere lets them be themselves and interact in a more natural way. Don’t just think meeting room. Think meeting place. It can be a resort, a historic inn, a conference center...in reality, any setting that allows for time out and getting away from the everyday routine.

    Determine success indicators.
    If a company doesn't have specific written objectives, it is wasting its money. In fact, Meeting Professionals International recently surveyed companies who had held retreats or off-site meetings within the past year. The survey found that more than half of these companies measured the results of the retreat against specific objectives to track their return on investment.

    Build in structure.
    The key to the structure of any retreat is a well thought -out agenda. Preparation before the meeting will enhance the ‘buy-in’ and eventual commitment to the results of the retreat.

    Provide an external influence.
    This person might be an expert in group facilitation, an expert in a particular area or technical specialty, or perhaps a futurist or strategic planner. This is not an area to skimp on. A professional can take your retreat from just another meeting to a winning endeavor.

    As the popularity of team-building and leadership retreats grows, businesses and organizations that take the time to plan their retreats properly will be way ahead of the game. As one participant of a recent retreat said, “We reached new heights in terms of where we’re going, the kinds of goals and objectives we need, and the leadership direction we need to be headed in.” That is the sign of a productive retreat.



    The Baby Shower Kit. - Brand New Step-By-Step Guide to Planning the Perfect Baby Shower!
    Mexico Travel 50 - Things You Must Know. - E-book with vital information for anyone planning to travel to, live in or retire in Mexico! (50% to affiliates)


    Article Index: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81

    More Articles:


    1. How To Learn Great Management from Our Kids By Martin Haworth
    Learning comes from many places. And one of the most wondrous opportunities is right in front of us. At dinner, at play and at bedtime, every evening. It is there on the sports field, on vacation and during homework. Our children have clues we can use in our business and organisation, right away..Listen to ThemKids tell us a lot about themselves, if we are prepared to listen. Often, especially when they are quite young, they ask us unexpected questions, that, if we are prepared to hear wha…
    Christian Social Networks

    2. How to Create an Operations Manual By Stephanie Chandler
    An operations manual can act as a tool for training employees and empowers them to your business running smoothly when you are out of the office. Though it may seem like a lot of work, the effort put into your operations manual can save you money that could otherwise be wasted on mishandled procedures and employee training time.Every operations manual is different so yours should be tailored to your specific business needs. You may want to create separate manuals for each department or job des…

    3. Should Quality Controllers be Sacked? By Vernon Stent
    There are various factors to consider when buying a product, but the two main areas must surely be price and quality.Price is easy - the only three options you have are up, down or same. That's it. Quality is much more involved. Firstly we cannot judge or even quantify the quality of a product if we don't have a yardstick. There are two ways to do this and both have their place. Firstly, find an equivalent product sold by a rival company and compare its attributes with your own product. Better…

    4. Tips for Mom Entrepreneurs: How to Stay Connected to Your Network
    As a working mom, you may already feel overwhelmed, juggling dual responsibilities of work and family. When it comes to networking - yet another task - you may feel that 'the time I've spent at networking has never really paid off.' Creating a personal and professional network is essential for your work + life success. That's why working moms need to approach networking with a different paradigm, explained below as a three-part process. Relationship Building Networking isn't just about collecti…