Secrets in Creating
HighlySuccessful
Off-Site Retreats
Monday, November 20, 2006
The decisions you make before and after hosting an off-site retreat for you r management team will determine if it is a success.
If you treat it as an isolated event — not part of an ongoing process — you undercut its benefit, wants Larry Dressler, president of Blue Wing Consulting, an organizational development firm in Boulder, Colo.
"Ask ahead of time, ”What must change as a result of the retreat?' " said Dressler, author of "Consensus Through Conversation." "Use the answer to guide both your preparation and follow-up."
Dressler helped an accounting firm's managing partners realize that the key issue they needed to address at a retreat was how to make their firm's core values more visible to clients. Thanks to their laser-like focus on this single, burning question, they ended their two-day meeting with "a manifesto on ways to weave their values into their policies and dealings with clients."
Choosing a setting in which participants can concentrate on business. If you hold the retreat in a luxurious resort, attendees may prefer to play golf and explore the surroundings. The ideal venue provides a protective environment that stimulates everyone to the sharpest, most creative thinking, Dressler says. It removes distractions.
"I recently attended a retreat in Santa Monica (Calif.) with a huge picture window overlooking the ocean," Dressler said. "People were looking out the window wishing they had more tome to enjoy the beach."
Some executives assume that they need to choose such an elegant destination to reward people who attend the retreat. But that can defeat the purpose of staging the event.
"What creates return on investment is a clear expectation that participants are committed to results, not the creature comforts of the physical space itself," Dressler said. "An isolated lodge in the country-side can work well to bring people together and focus."
To maximize everyone's contribution to the discussion, encourage free-flowing debate. If the chief executive opens by proposing an idea — and everyone responds with what Dressler call "a collective head nod" — the retreat will fizzle.
A smarter tack is to stoke the group's commitment, rather than seed agreement. One of Dressler's techniques is to distribute green, yellow and red cards to attendees.
After they hear a proposal, audience members hold up a green card if they support the idea. If they have some reservations, they raise a yellow card. If they oppose the proposal they flash a red card. The people with yellow and red cards then share their concerns.
"Using the color cards gets everyone into the conversation, not just the head nodders," Dressler said.
Morey Stettner
» Secrets in Creating Highly
Successful Off-Site Retreats
The Evolved Leader: Moving Beyond Blame
The Good Part About It Being a Jungle Out There
Interview with Larry Dressler on Sirius Radio's "Good Business"