RETREATS DON’T HAVE TO BE
“HOURS I’LL NEVER GET BACK”
We’ve all been involved in some sort of group
get-together, labeled a “retreat”. These are generally billed as no-pressure,
casual meetings, usually off-hours, with lots of food and snacks, where we're
supposed to speak freely, have discussions without distractions, and come away
with an understanding of ......what?
Frankly, many of the retreats we have attended have
been disappointing. Some were simply poorly planned. Some brought in “experts”
who spent time lecturing, using age-worn consultant parlor tricks of sticky
notes, multi-voting and breaking off into small groups to discuss things (which
inhibits the whole board from hearing everyone’s thoughts). Others were
ambiguous in their purpose. And in some cases, our fellow board members
resented the time spent.
Retreats can be helpful, if planned properly.
Timeliness, preparation, relevance, engagement, and documentation of your
specific outcomes are the keys to a successful get together.
When is a good time to get your board together for a
retreat? That’s an easy one – the best time for a retreat is BEFORE A SITUATION
ARISES THAT REQUIRES A SOLUTION! That’s kind of obvious but many boards use
retreats to find fixes to today’s issues.
It’s also important that each board member know what
the subject will be and have spent time considering their own thoughts about
the subject.
What constitutes a relevant retreat? This is a hard
one. Relevance is different for every board but generally, we believe that
boards should consider overarching subjects for their retreats. Retreats provide a great way to discuss your
board's purpose, roles, goals and behaviors.
Every board member needs to have their opinion heard
and their story told. The leader of the retreat can have a huge influence on
engagement. Lectures from “the mount”, “sit and get” and “small group
discussions” don’t provide engagement. Instead, they encourage group-think.
Retreats can be meaningful time spent to have an
honest conversation about your organization.
We specialize in boards. We are board members. No parlor tricks, no
fancy speeches. Just a focused discussion with the board regarding your
purpose, roles, goals and behaviors.
Will you have new board members joining you? Spend
time NOW to define and affirm your purpose, your roles and goals, and
especially your expected behavior.
We can help your board! Contact us soon, as our schedule is filling
fast.
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