How to plan your strategy retreat: 5 key steps

In my last blog post I wrote about the importance of retreat to refresh and renew your business when it's time to think ahead. So, you know it's important and you know you should do it, but where do you start?

You don't need to go yak trekking in the Himalayas to have an effective retreat. It doesn't need to be complicated and it doesn't need to be expensive, but it does need to be well thought through with defined objectives, processes and outcomes.

5 key steps to plan your strategy retreat:

1. Set the date: Don't just think about it. Set the date, put it in the corporate calendar and then you can work towards it. 
2. Define your objectives: What do you want to achieve from the retreat? It may be primarily for team building, for short-term or long-term planning, for direction setting or for vision building. Specify the tangible outcome that you want to achieve from the retreat.
3. Choose a facilitator: A facilitator can be internal or external to the organisation and there are pros and cons to each approach. Again, it depends on what your objectives are. Do you want someone with in-depth industry experience, or do you want a fresh perspective? Will an internal facilitator be too tied up in the politics of the organisation? Working with an internal facilitator can be a bit like a dentist pulling their own teeth - it seems like an economical alternative, but can be very messy. 
4. Establish the pre-work requirements: For an effective retreat some pre-work will be required by the facilitator and the participants. This may include surveys, questionnaires, self-reflection or reading. Feedback may be anonymous or confidential and this helps the facilitator to get a good understanding of your organisation and the needs or your group. Be wary of a facilitator who wants to walk in and out in one day without any pre-work. Defining your strategy and setting your direction is one of the most important things you do in your organisation. Ensure that whoever you work with takes your organisation seriously and does the necessary preparation.
5. Define your follow-up process: One of the areas where strategy and planning come unstuck is if the participants believe that the retreat is an endpoint. In fact, it's a starting point. Although you may not know in advance the specific outcomes of the retreat, having a defined process to implement following the event helps to ensure that outcomes and changes will be followed up.

When you're thinking ahead about your business and ready to plan your next strategy retreat, contact Monique at Teak Yew.