Go on a company retreat

This article first appeared on September 2nd, 2011.

Pack your bags, load up the car and fill up the esky – we’re going on a road-trip. Well, you are at least – your taking your team on a corporate retreat.

I’ve always found I do my best thinking away from the office, where I’m focused on delivering. Getting “off site” as the management gurus like to say is a great way to get a fresh perspective on your big problems.

You can do this by hiring a conference room for an afternoon or you can go a step further, hiring a beach house for a couple of days and holding a proper strategy session.

In fact, you might have a few strategy sessions. You might have a few hours where the directors or advisers get together on big picture issues and you should also have plenty of time with staff. If there are specific problems you want to tackle, perhaps hold workshops with smaller groups too.

And at the end of the day, have a big dinner where everyone can relax and enjoy each other’s company.

One final tip – it might be worth getting a facilitator (or at least nominating one from inside your company) to keep the whole thing on track.

Get it done – today!