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If you’re using retreats as a catch-all for everything you want to get done in your company, then this episode is for you. As leaders, we have to have a long-term focus but that same focus can cause us to skip over the essentials which need to be in place before strategic planning can happen.

Without connection, your team is just a workgroup that is not equipped to adapt and succeed when plans go awry. To build that connection, team building should be your priority. To help with that I’m sharing the critical elements you need to incorporate into your retreats – and no, we’re not talking about trust falls.

In this episode, Mathew and I talk about the right way to plan a retreat. We discuss where most retreats go wrong, what it means to be a team, why you should prioritize relationships, how to structure your retreats, why you can’t tackle several issues in one retreat, the importance of a leader’s vision, and so much more!

If you’re tuning in for the first time, I highly recommend going back and listening to our early episodes about trust, honesty and appropriate vulnerability. These elements are the foundation for becoming a leader by attraction and play a key role on the path to sheer clarity. As always, thank you for listening and please continue to share your feedback, questions, and experiences – we love hearing from you!

Key Topics:

• Why we’re talking about retreats today (0:44)
• Where a lot of companies go wrong with their retreats (3:45)
• The importance of the meeting before the meeting (4:34)
• Why team building should be your primary focus (5:46)
• Building trust within a team (6:22)
• What every seasoned executive does in their first six months (8:17)
• The elements that make a team more than a workgroup (10:38)
• How a team responds to unexpected challenges (14:46)
• Why I hate trust falls (15:56)
• Planning a retreat that encourages honesty, vulnerability, and disclosure (17:14)
• Questions you can ask to help team members get to know each other (19:54)
• The significance of the leader’s vision in closely-held businesses (23:42)
• Figuring out the long-term vision for your company (24:19)
• How you should approach planning your retreat (26:36)
• The benefits from a recent retreat focused on building a connection (27:53)
• And much more!

Click here for a PDF version of the transcript