Strategic Retreats: A Gig for Fun and Teambuilding Only?
by Georgia Kartsanis
Oh No! What I see more and more from the leadership work I do with leaders is that in this exponentially changing world there is difficulty to ‘download’ a shared vision/purpose (where in the best cases exists) to concrete strategies and goals. Why? Because our new times require that we build our strategic plans from the future and not towards the future. This requires an evolutionary thinking leap, from thinking linearly to exponentially – strategizing at the same time both for our short term needs as well our long term aspirations and reasons for existence. But, CEOs, you are not accustomed to this or strategize like this- right?
This is why Strategic planning is revealed from latest research as the top leadership priority. No matter what size your company, or which sector it operates in, finding the time to dedicate to effective strategic planning is a huge challenge.
And this is where Strategic Retreats with an external expert Facilitator/Coach help. They help you take a distance from your daily distractions and operations so you may:
- gain a profound understanding of your current position, the external environment including competitors and trends in your industry and community
- reflect objectively on the culture, capabilities, and resources of your organization
- align your different function heads towards your Purpose
- define the winning Strategies for the future
- set bold, long term, and agreed upon objectives that are concise, accessible and easy to understand
- define how you’ll manage performance and measure results
- garner the energy and focus of your Management
- build your Story: your Strategic Narrative that will connect you with your key audiences
So, the next time you think that you don’t have the luxury to take a day off from the office or you can’t afford for your team to meet outside at a resort or hotel for planning the future, think again! From my experience, working with leadership teams around the globe, it is imperative for the CEO to organize these offsites at least twice a year. This will enable his/her leadership team to develop commonly agreed strategic transformation initiatives and the new mindsets that will initiate breakthrough thinking for increasing the synergy and effectiveness of the team and the prosperity of the business.
