Our team recently traveled to Cherry Log, Georgia, for a three-day retreat at our mountain house – the same place where we personally go to unwind.

Some of our staff got up at 2 AM to catch their Ubers, because apparently, nothing says “high-performer” like voluntarily losing sleep to go deep in the woods with your boss.

On the first day they arrived, we rented a party boat on Blue Ridge Lake and enjoyed water tubing, competitive horseplay, and cruising in the sun.

We dedicated a half day to pure fun and connection before we got down to business. And it paid off.

Use these tips to fire up your next business retreat.

1. No Team is Too Small for a Retreat

You don’t need to be a big corporation to justify a strategic offsite.

Once your leadership team is forming,  they’ve got ideas, opinions, and energy that need alignment. We invested 2.5 days into building tighter bonds and better plans—and the impact was huge.

2. Uncover Hidden Potential In Your Teammates

We kicked off our actual meeting by doing a Johari Window exercise.  The goal with this exercise it to uncover what people know about you that you don’t know about yourself. And vice versa.

There was laughing and some crying, but mostly we were all amazed by what we learned about each other. This deepened out connections and respect for each other.

3. Make It Safe To Share

One team member mentioned they were glad to be in a strategic planning meeting where there was no finger-pointing.

We intentionally set up the meeting to heighten mutual trust before we got down to business.

But it’s also how we’re hardwired at Jeffrey Scott Consulting: Solution-Oriented!

When people feel safe, they share more, contribute more, and buy-in more.

We Walk The Talk

Our Director of Operations, Mitch Katz, led the retreat, not me.

As CEO I got to be a participant instead of the leader, only “grabbing the wheel” once or twice like a driving coach might. By sitting in the passenger seat, I learned that my team has incredible ideas on both the visionary and integrator sides.

Through this process they bought in 100% – they are in it to win it.

You couldn’t ask for better.

Your Challenge: The Teams that Laugh Together, Work Better Together.

The counterintuitive truth is:

Jumping straight into a strategy session can actually leave your team feeling disconnected.

Start with fun before you tackle business.

Add one or more of these activities:

• Pick something slightly uncomfortable  or competitive – Water tubing, escape rooms, or cooking challenges force people out of their comfort zones together
• Make it physical – Activities that get your heart rate up create shared adrenaline and bonding. Rope course anyone?
• No phones – The magic happens when people are fully present with each other.
• Join in as a teammate, not a boss – Your vulnerability gives others permission to be human too.
• Don’t forget the food. Just hanging, talking and cooking/eating together is a good way to cap it off.

When people feel connected they’ll fight harder for your team’s success, more than any strategic plan could motivate them to.

Go get em!

Regards, Jeffrey Scott

P.S. If you’re ready to take your company’s strategic planning retreat to the next level, our team can help. [Get started].