Retreats - The Management Edge : The Management Edge | Dramatically Increasing Performance and Productivity

Retreats, of course, can’t and won’t replace conferences in somebody’s professional calendar. But adding a retreat to your calendar can provide an entirely different kind of value by allowing participants to connect with colleagues in a more intimate way, and more important, by allowing them to reconnect with their own strengths and goals.

The relaxed pace of a retreat provides a great chance to step back from day-to-day problem-solving so you can think about larger goals. Instead of shuttling between large-group presentations and power lunches, you spend your time engaging in small-group conversations, personal reflection and perhaps take advantage of some of the local amenities.

Organizations should look at their last performance review to see the areas they have targeted for development and use that as a reference point. A Retreat from the day to day work enables individuals and groups to better address over-arching issues, work on the important, not just the urgent. Strategic Planning is particularly powerful conducted in a Retreat format.