With over 15 years of experience supporting these types of workshops in more than 9 countries, we encounter recurring challenges. The primary one being the leadership’s tendency to overload the agenda with informative presentations. Second on the list, the incorporation of a list of activities, all
relevant, but not connected by a common strategic purpose and narrative. The challenge: to generate a high-value moment in the team’s collective history, and at the same time design and execute an agenda that achieves its objectives, integrating both the business and the human and relational dimensions.
The annual retreats for teams working in the offices of a multilateral bank in its member countries are much more than an instance of camaraderie and celebration. With adequate preparation, they allow the leadership team to create an instance of strategic alignment and help all individuals working there to connect their daily work with a comprehensive perspective. And they can look towards shared opportunities and challenges with common criteria and a common level of information. They are also instances of enormous value for sharing best practices and common challenges, and for fostering the exchange of experiences among people who do not usually interact with each other.
Preparation is one of the keys. This involves several challenges; the
first is to listen sufficiently to the team’s leadership to understand their vision of success for the event, when it is clear. And, when it is not, to help define it. This often requires helping to integrate diverse intentions, messages, and activities into a common purpose. And once the expected outcomes of the event are defined, we then proceed—step by step—to define the appropriate dynamics for each of the planned sessions.
Another key is to help articulate the products of the group dynamics into deliverables that allow for proper follow-up. Preparing recording systems and scheduling follow-up milestones after the retreat, integrated into the organization’s existing routines, yields excellent results.
