Each Idea Summit is custom tailored to meet the special needs
of you or your leadership team.
Learning executives (professional coaches)
play a critical role in creating the conditions for a successful
retreat. They help executives define goals and assist in
developing and implementing processes for achieving those
objectives. Below are some ways to prepare yourself or
your leadership team for the most effective Idea Summit
possible.
Define the Purpose
The most essential ingredient for
success is a clear purpose. Ask yourself, “What do
I really want to gain from the retreat? What do I expect
to be different after the retreat?” This may sound
simplistic, but in fact, many leaders try to short change
this step with vague statements about getting together
to talk. This temptation is deadly because without a clear
purpose, the retreat will yield disappointing results.
A
starting point for defining retreat objectives is to gather
data. Depending on the nature of the retreat, you may want
to obtain customer surveys, financial reports, industry
trends, news from recent events or employee surveys. Hard data
is not the only source that drives your purpose. Sometimes
the reason to meet is based more on a gut feeling that you
know something needs to change. In this case, consider the “From-To” formula.
Ask yourself what you want to move away from and move toward.
For example, “I
want to move away from a crisis-based approach when handling
customer concerns to a proactive approach.”
Additional
questions that create focus include: “What
has happened that makes NOW the time to hold the retreat?” or “What
will happen if we do nothing?” The next question
is my personal favorite, “What do I not want to happen
at the retreat or after the retreat?” When answering
this question, leaders often come back to what they really
want most from the retreat.
A retreat is not for “fixing” an
individual. This approach will waste the time of team members.
If an individual has a problem, address it directly by
meeting one-on-one with that person to mutually solve the
issue. Ask yourself if it is necessary for the entire group
to attend in order to solve the problem. It may be necessary
for only a few people to take part in the retreat. If you
aren’t sure who should be involved, share the objective
of the retreat with one or two of your close associates
and get their opinion.
Be careful not to use a retreat to
give the impression that you are gathering input from the
group when the decision is already made. No one likes being
manipulated. You may already have a highly workable idea
that the group needs time to think about. If so, giving
them time to work through the idea can be more beneficial
than dictating what will happen. However, you still need
be open to feedback. No matter how great your idea, a new
perspective can usually provide added value.
When determining
retreat objectives, use these questions to help you prepare
for a retreat:
- What are you trying to achieve?
- What do you really want to happen?
- If you could have
your wish, what would people do differently after the
retreat?
- What obstacles are there to obtaining this
goal?
- What happened that made you decide to hold a retreat?
- What
makes this a good time to hold a retreat? If not now,
when?
- Who should be involved in planning the retreat?
- Is
there any "history" among team members
that needs to be considered?
- What will happen if we do not
take time to retreat?
- What do you NOT want to occur?
Prepare Yourself
With clarity of purpose, the sponsor
of the retreat must prepare and become clear about the
role he or she will play. If you are the sponsor, ask yourself, “Am
I going to be the meeting leader of the retreat or a participant?” The
tricky answer to this is that you have both roles. By virtue
of the fact that you are the leader, even when you aren’t
physically leading the discussion, everyone knows that
potentially you can turn any conversation around. In
fact, some people may tend to wait to give an opinion
until they see where you stand. To handle this dilemma,
you need to mentally prepare to fully listen to ideas.
The most common
killer of the effectiveness of strategic retreats is a
leader who talks too much. If the leader has the habit
of grandstanding or putting down other team member's ideas,
the retreat is likely to be a waste of time. For critical
meetings, a skilled facilitator will be used to assist
in achieving the goals of the retreat. The facilitator
can act as an executive coach in providing skills and reminders
to help the leader achieve their objectives.
The first skill
for the leader to learn is to wait three to five seconds
after someone has finished talking before making a comment.
This is not withdrawing emotionally, becoming stoic
and stone-faced. Instead, it is a way to avoid judgments
that will shut down all further conversation. If the
first two or three people who speak at the retreat get
told by word or tone of voice that their ideas are stupid,
don’t expect much for the
rest of the retreat.
A few phrases to help the process include “What
else?” or “I’d
like to learn more about your idea.” This doesn’t
mean giving in to any idea or never challenging a point
of view. Instead, you simply take the time to get enough
information to fully understand the other person. Just
make sure you fully understand with what you are disagreeing.
Prepare Your Team
Involving
the team in preparation can create increased interest
and commitment. Typically, the leader has already spent
weeks thinking about the importance of the retreat.
Because of this forethought, the leader is ready to
take action. However, the team has not made the same
emotional investment.
If the team’s only real participation
in the retreat preparation was an invitation or short
discussion at a staff meeting, they will arrive expecting
to be served. There can even be cynicism about having
a retreat. The leader needs to determine what information
or experiences the team needs prior to the retreat so
they will be ready to take action when they arrive.
One
way to get buy-in is through sincere involvement. This can
include a request for suggestions for the agenda, gathering
and contributing information and arranging for customers or
speakers to attend. In many settings, I recommend gathering
input from the group by way of focus groups, one-on-one interviews
or surveys. This data is then compiled and used to define the
final agenda.
If it isn’t possible to gather the data as described
above, e-mail the team three questions related to the
agenda of the retreat. Ask them to be ready at the
retreat to share their answers. If possible, consider
compiling the information before the meeting. By giving
pre-work, the team will be more ready for critical conversations.
Another
form of preparation is a reading assignment. I know of one leader
who chooses a different book each year and requires everyone to
read it prior to the retreat. Team members must prepare thoughts
about how to apply the book to the next year’s business challenges.
As part of the retreat, the group then determines action
items relative to the book.
Define the Process
The process begins with agreement
on the ground rules. Ground rules establish how the
group will work together. They set guidelines about
how everyone will be heard, how disagreements will
be handled and how decisions will be made.
To keep the group energized
and on task, strategies should be developed to vary participation.
Consider providing time for large and small group interactions
as well as one-on-one discussions. Provide time for
people to think and write individually about a topic
or decision before starting discussions. This process
quiets the aggressive talkers and allows others a way
to prepare more thorough responses. Using a variety
of interaction techniques provides opportunities for
all types of communication styles.
Keep discussions moving
by creating a “parking lot” for
issues that are important but outside the scope of
the meeting. These can be posted on a flipchart and discussed
at a staff meeting or future retreat. The facilitator
can help manage the time and the progress of the group
or a timekeeper from the group can be assigned.
Before
moving from one topic to the next, summarize what has been decided
and test for agreement. For example, “So,
we’ve decided to increase our marketing investment
for the next quarter by $150,000. To what degree do
we each agree with the decision? Please, share any
concerns you still have?” These transitions ensure
that there’s
commitment and a plan to move forward.
The process should
also include time for breaks. Take advantage of the
location by having time set aside for a walk. Breaks
not only rejuvenate the mind, but also allow the group
to think more deeply about strategic topics. A variety of refreshments
to cater to various dietary needs will be provided.
Use a Facilitator
For important
meetings, a skilled facilitator is a must. A facilitator encourages
participation, keeps communication fair and on track and makes
sure that the decisions are agreed upon. Also, the facilitator
will take time to test for the reality of decisions.
Typically, the facilitator will also help design the
retreat.
A facilitator can come from inside or outside
the company. Your three basic options are a team member, an
internal consultant or an external consultant. Team members
have the benefit of familiarity with company issues,
politics and personalities. However, because of their
role in the team, they also have personal biases that
can sometimes cause them to get “hooked” into
issues. It can be harder for an insider to challenge
the group or the leader because they are at risk and
have to live with the organization after the retreat.
Internal
consultants who are outside your span of authority can reduce
some of the problems associated with using a team member. Although
some company biases can exist, internal consultants bring a
blend of organizational familiarity and objectivity.
When dealing
with major issues, it is worth considering using an external
facilitator. The insights, processes and candid feedback of
an external facilitator can yield significant results that
outweigh the fees. When possible, consider the combination
of an internal and external facilitator. This provides the
advantage of insider information and outsider impartiality.
When
selecting a facilitator, be aware that just because someone
is a consultant in a particular field does not automatically
mean she can develop the trust and the interactions needed
to make a retreat effective. Seek out someone who understands
group dynamics and can provide examples of how he has dealt
with challenging situations.
Of course, Kelvin Hutchinson will
work closely with any facilitator selected or can provide facilitation
services when needed.
Follow Up on Decisions:
Follow-up should be planned
into the overall design of the retreat. Strategic planning
should be thought of as a series of retreats or meetings,
rather than an event. Before the retreat is over, set
a date for team members to report on their actions.
This type of commitment increases the likelihood of
things getting done.
Once you’re back at the office, remember: “That
which you hold people accountable to do gets done.” Everything
else is a list of nice things. Have people report on
their progress in staff meetings and one-on-one interactions.
By connecting business results to what happened at
the retreat, the team becomes more motivated because
they see that their efforts paid off.
In summary, the
learning executive helps the sponsor of the retreat
think through these steps. The most critical role the
learning executive can play happens before the retreat.
The learning executive should invest the time to focus
the sponsor on what has to be achieved at the retreat
and beyond.
Don’t underestimate the critical role of preparation.
From there, a plan must be created to involve people. Take
the time to do it right. Increase team member commitment
to the outcome of the retreat by involving them in the
preparation process. For key meetings, enlist the expertise
of a skilled facilitator. And remember, in order to accelerate
progress after the retreat, follow up in staff meetings
and in one-on-one conversations. An old adage about life
applies to retreats, “You get out of a retreat what
you put into it.
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