It's January and the season for leader retreats.
New board members, new lead team members, and established teams needing
to vision for another year! We have all suffered through some lame and
tedious retreats. And most of us have been involved in some really productive ones.
So, in the spirit of the season, here are my basic principles for a really high-octane retreat gathering:
1. Meet somewhere away from the normal routine, preferably with good lighting in the day and a fireplace at night.
2. Spend the night. If you send people home you lose some of the impact. Late nights watching movies, eating pizza, playing games and engaging in great conversations help your team bond!
3. Remember that 12 people is the magic number for synergy and efficiency.
More than 12, and it gets more complicated. Less than 12 and it gets
more intimate. 12 is the sweet spot. Jesus was not random with that
number.
4. If you have more than 12, working in smaller circles is imperative!
5. During the first 1/3 of the retreat time, my number one goal is to find a way that every participant can shine.
They might lead in music, or art, or showcase a great recipe. They
might lead a game or facilitate a discussion. Find a way, within the
agenda that you have, for everyone to lead in some way, and to do so in
line with their giftedness. This will insure that (a) everyone feels
valuable in the eyes of the group and (b) that people are thinking to
themselves, "What an amazing and talented team this is - I am so glad to
be a part of it!" Once (a) and (b) occur, I predict (c) that your team
will work like Clydesdale horses on whatever you set before them.
6. During the second 1/3 of the retreat time, break into smaller teams to tackle tough challenges.
With a group of 12, this would be four to a team. Four or five is
optimal for trouble-shooting, problem-solving or project development
kinds of teams. Establish the topics and handpick the leader
of each team ahead of time. You may allow people to gravitate to the
team they are most interested in, possibly having to coax one or two to
help with a task that garnered fewer volunteers. Teams of 4-5 are much
more effective in problem solving than larger groups.
7. During the final 1/3 of the retreat time, be sure to allow each team to report back to the larger group for feedback and also to develop an action plan that will last until mid to late spring. 90-day action plans are optimal - and you should have energy coming out of a good retreat to fuel action for about 90 days. After that, the major productivity from the retreat will be spent.
8. Worship. And share.
Bob Logan, a ministry coach in Southern California, has a mantra that I
quote a lot: "Whatever business you want to be in, get around to that
business!" You are a faith community. Don't just leave the faith part,
the worship part, the prayer part, the sharing part on the margins. Take
up prime time simply living as a faith community. It makes the rest of
your work much more fruitful. (This will offer multiple opportunities
for people to shine.)
9. Eat and drink well.
If your polity and protocols allows, a few bottles of wine will not be
abused in such a setting. If that is off the table, at least make some
good hot cider or a great sangria without alcohol. (More people can
shine here.)
10. Be sure that each action team (in the days after the retreat) has a captain - who may or may not have been in the group that developed the plan - and that there is clarity on who will do what in the weeks to come. There should be one person (possibly you if you organized the retreat and are the leader of the overall team) who checks in with each team member WEEKLY to see how things are progressing.
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