Retreat Recommendations
Staff retreats are more important, and more difficult, than ever.
I didn’t set out to be a retreat facilitator but it has been a natural outgrowth of my work with charity leadership teams and I (mostly) really enjoy providing content and hosting services for several groups this year.
But it’s not the same.
With most organizations having more staff working hybrid/remote and the realities of pandemic considerations and unpredictable travel logistics, high staff turnover, along with the ongoing shifts of generational change in the workforce, the way we did team retreats even 5 years ago just isn’t as effective anymore.
Your team don’t know each other as well past groups did. They may be less interested in time spent hanging out and less adept at the casual small talk and banter that used to be key to building culture. Some people are super keen to be in person together, others are awkward of reluctant.
Perks have changed. Both donors and staff are critical of lavish accommodations, elaborate outings, and branded swag that will quickly be discarded or gather dust. We need to prioritize spending on what will be impactful. Which may very well include a nice meal and a logo jacket; but only if we know those things will be appreciated.
Team building is viewed with suspicion. The days of fire walking sessions and trust falls are in the past for most of us. People want to see relevance in every activity. Skilled facilitators can connect meaning to escape rooms, quiz nights, and even go karting; but expect some resistance if these things are out of character for your group.
So what do we do?
Increase intentionality. Invest the money no longer for extended office space in bringing everyone together multiple times each year. Spend time well ahead of the gathering considering what you want to accomplish. And let people know what to expect. Get input from all levels of the organization in designing the retreat and do a full debrief to begin planning the next one.
Balance fun with content. Each staff is different but people generally perform best when they feel known and understood, and social connections have been strained in recent years. Capitalise on being in the same room by reducing the lecture-type presentations and emphasize collaboration and discussion. End your agenda reasonably early so those who want to hang out can do so while others head to their rooms to recharge.
Engage Expertise. Have a facilitator come in to deliver a personality tool. Fly in (or Zoom) reports from the field. Tearfund brought in trained guides to lead us in The Blanket Exercise to better understand the Indigenous experience and impacts of colonialism. Consider having a board member, friend, or facilitator host the retreat so your team are more free to fully participate while someone else tracks the schedule and handles logistics.
Retreat More. Remote and hybrid teams generally get more out of retreats than in-person teams do. If you’ve always had one retreat per year consider having two or three. One of them may be team or department based instead of all staff, or each department could work separately in the same location and gather for meals and opening/closing sessions. If having a strong internal culture and easy collaboration is important to you it will be worth the costs.
Talk less, smile more. This advice from the Hamilton musical applies well to lead staff at a retreat. use this as a time to develop and connect with others on your team and give them as much opportunity to lead/present as possible. Your time is best spent with 1-2 key sessions and otherwise making a point to have conversations with your people, particularly those you see least often.
Of course there are many more considerations.
-Can you hold the retreat in one of your program locations instead of near your home office?
-Can you share the retreat with field partners or strategic partners?
-Invite board and/or key donors to participate for part of the time?
The point is, team retreats are highly leverage able opportunities to develop your people, advance culture, do strategic work, and cast inspiring vision. Invest both creativity and resources in making them highlights. It’s worth it.
Let me know if I can help.
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