After the retreat: now what?
We’ve all been there.
The retreat that you’ve planned for months is over, and everyone is on that retreat “sugar high.” People are hugging, ideas are flowing, and everyone is feeling focused and determined.
But we all know what happens after a sugar high – the sugar crash. Energy plummets, people wander back to their offices, and don’t even remember what the retreat was about, let alone what they had resolved to do. You can hear people saying, “I knew it would be a waste of time,” and “That’s why I hate retreats. Pointless.” The silos are reinstalled, and the staff members continue with their work, unchanged.
< Sigh. >
You know that the retreat could make a difference, if – and that’s a big “if” – it resulted in new behaviors, actions, and initiatives. Those “aha” moments at the retreat, the innovative ideas, and those new and strengthened and even new relationships forged at the retreat, seemed so important. Because they are. But only if those epiphanies from the retreat are incorporated (or even guide) your organization weeks, months, and possibly years after the retreat.
So how do you make those changes stick?
Before the retreat, you (hopefully) gave some significant thought to planning. To engage your team and create buy-in, you (again, hopefully) brought together critical voices and perspectives from different parts of your organization, and then stepped back from the process, allowing the planning committee to step up and exercise their own leadership skills. And if you’re scratching your head at this point, and saying, “Jason, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about,” check out this post.
That same construction – having a team of people plan the retreat – can work just the same after the retreat. By forming an Action Team.
The Action Team (which can be the same or different than your Retreat Planning Team) is your group of tenacious reporters and cheerleaders. Ideally, the Action Team is composed of people with different skill sets from different divisions, which is especially crucial if the retreat brought together multiple departments or teams to engage in initiatives which will require collaboration. And as you probably know, collaboration doesn’t just happen. It requires nurturing, accountability and support.
Likewise, if your retreat was designed to get your entire team on the same page, or if you want them to develop ideas, products, or projects together, they need to have easy access to each other afterward.
The Action Team isn’t responsible for doing all of the work that was identified at the retreat. But they are responsible for making sure that the deliverables get accomplished.
In my earlier days of consulting, my work would end at the retreat. But I quickly found that accountability and support is a critical component of success. After forming Action Teams with my clients, I will typically meet with the them, every other month for a full year, to ensure that progress is made. At those meetings, the team members will identify stumbling blocks, and craft solutions to any problems that have arisen. They keep departments accountable and keep communication flowing.
Think of your Action Team as the protein that turns the #retreat sugar high into a nice, sustained release of energy. You can have your sugar without protein, but don’t expect the results to last long. If you don’t follow through on the implicit promises made and goals identified at the retreat, you’ll lose face as a #leader, and your team may wind up with less energy, focus, and resolve than they started with.
If you want that productive infusion of energy — one that lasts and moves everyone forward — make a post-retreat plan that includes an Action Team. Replace magical thinking with purposeful planning. And watch your retreats have a lasting impact.