How would you like to know the best kept secret to conducting the most successful staff retreat? Are you ready? Do you have your highlighters out?
The #1 thing to remember is: You can’t do it all in one retreat
There is not one magical team experience, team building activity, or corporate retreat that can solve all your organizations problems, challenges, or budgets in one to two days. If there were an all-inclusive, magical team experience I’m sure we all would have heard about it by now. You can’t do everything in one retreat, so stop trying, and let yourself off the hook.
Now this does not mean you can just throw caution to the wind and wing it. Let’s be honest. That’s not going to be productive. You still need to determine retreat goals and objectives. There needs to be an agenda, specific discussion topics, and an action plan. However, by understanding that you can not do it all takes the pressure off you and your team to try and solve every challenge in the organization.
A retreat, by definition is “designed and organized specifically to facilitate the ability of a group to step back from their day-to-day demands and activities for an extended period of concentrated discussion, dialogue, and strategic thinking about the organization’s future or about specific issues.” Nowhere in this definition does it mention conclusion, decision, outcome, or completion.
If you are walking into your corporate retreat stressed, anxious, or worried about the outcome of the day, you are starting your retreat off on the wrong path. Remember, when planning your next team retreat, let go of crazy high expectations and preconceived thoughts. You can’t do it all, but you can focus on the present moment. That focus will help you have the best staff retreat ever.