What’s involved in thinking through executive retreat planning?
Let’s first start with what you visualize when you think about going on a retreat. Maybe you think of a vacation-like setting full of peace and serenity. You might think campfires, hikes, and reflection. You might see a place where people experience deep thoughts and are pushed to reflect on past behaviors and future plans. None of these would be wrong.
The word retreat can be defined in multiple ways:
1) an act of moving back or withdrawing.
2) a quiet or secluded place in which one can rest and relax.
3) a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study or instruction under a director
What each of these definitions has in common is the notion of withdrawing from the current external forces one is involved with and finding a “quiet place”. Retreating from our everyday normal activity to a quiet place allows for intentional reflection and growth. It is when we retreat from the daily circumstances of work and life that we can better evaluate our options, question our decisions & actions, look at our behaviors more objectively, and find solutions for growth.
A retreat allows us the safety to let go, reflect, rejuvenate, and grow.
Executive retreat planning is a beneficial use of any leader’s time because it involves thinking about how to develop & grow your team. Planning a retreat with your team, in a beautiful natural setting, can allow for a reset, and room for creative energy & thoughts to emerge that might be getting stifled by the barrage of competing priorities and demands. Team retreats when planned well, will increase the human connection between your peers and allow for more open and honest communication, trust, and breakthrough ideas. These aren’t just opportunities to hike and sit around campfires, although this may be included; they are thoughtfully crafted, planned, and facilitated itineraries that move towards solving a problem and allowing for individual and team discoveries.
Just as important as focusing on your team, leaders must create time to focus on themselves. A great leader is never done growing, learning, and reflecting. Executive retreat planning allows for leaders to take a step back, unplug from the noise of work and life, and join others with similar yet diverse backgrounds to explore what is working and what might serve them better. The opportunity for self-exploration is tremendously valuable and life-altering for many people. A well-planned retreat has the right mix of people, an intimate setting away from everyday life, and is created for optimal learning, discovery & growth by skilled facilitators. Impactful retreats have been curated with a plan for what will be achieved and have an agenda that supports each participant on a guided journey of personal development. No matter the topic for the retreat, what all well-planned retreats share in common is the ability to withdraw from the typical, turn inward to reflect and rejuvenate, and emerge with new insights and energy.
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