Leadership Corner
Retreats are generally thought
of as a way to use focused energy in an uninterrupted format to achieve
large-scale results. They can be for strategic planning, succession planning,
building teams, and corporate or individual renewal.
How can leaders get the most
from off-site meetings? Retreats are most effective if they are considered a process in a continuum, not as an event.
Retreats therefore need at
least three stages:
1.
Pre-Retreat
2.
Retreat
3.
Post-Retreat
Stage 1 Pre-retreat
1. Identifying the ideal result.
2. Choosing the right participants for the
results you want.
3. Preparing them for the retreat with a
pre-meeting that identifies the ideal result, their roles, and the upfront work
prior to the retreat.
4.
Choosing
a site that is conducive to the result you want.
5.
Choosing
a facilitator who understands your ideal result and the culture of your
company.
6.
Working
with the facilitator to create an agenda and asking for feedback on it prior to
the retreat.
7.
Giving
enough up-front time for members to clear their schedules and hand off work and
coverage so that they can return ready to do the follow-up work.
Stage 2 Retreat
1.
Have
an agenda that is balanced in large group/small group work and fun activities.
2.
Pace
it with people’s energy.
3.
Leave
the facilitation to the facilitator and become a participant.
4.
Clarify
expected results; drive for their completion.
5.
Have
a list of action steps to follow up after the retreat.
Stage 3 Post Retreat
1.
Meet
to follow up on action plan.
2.
Create
a call to action: creating buy-in and implementation of the plan.
3.
Coach
members to communicate the achievements, goals, and progress of the plan.
4.
Schedule
meetings to make people accountable for the plans and action items.
Summary
Retreats
are a great way to jump-start a significant process and, like anything, the two
biggest keys to success are planning and communication.
Organization Corner
Satisfied Employees Yield Return On Investment
Even
in a down economy there is no substitute for talent in your company.
Talent
can be the seeds of the next economic growth. Its absence can be the source of
crisis.
Many
companies fear that it is not cost effective to invest in their current talent
pool, and they often start cost cutting in places where talent could have been
developed.
American
Society Training Development has found a strong correlation between investment
in training a professional development and higher stock market return.
The
Gallup Poll also found that employees who received sponsored training were more
likely to stay at their jobs.
It
takes between $10,000 and $12,000 to replace non-management employees and up to
10 times that for management. That cost includes recruitment, training,
advertising, and loss of knowledge with each turnover.
If
you have talent leaving, it is important to know why they leave. Recent
research tells us that what keeps employees, beyond fair pay and benefits, are the following:
1.
A good manager
2.
An ability to make a
difference, to contribute
3.
Flexibility
4.
A sense of connection to the
team and company
5.
Employer’s investment in their
professional development.
What
is your company doing to build your talent capital?
QA Corner
Q.
How can I help a manager who is very valuable to the firm, but whose people
skills often demoralize his team?
A. The good news is that people skills can
be taught. The bad news is they can only be taught through repeated
experiential learning, and only with someone who is skilled in teaching people
skills, and only to someone who is invested in learning the skills.
The
beginning dialogue about this should highlight his strengths as well as his
challenges, and how his deficits in this area are preventing him from achieving
the results he wants.
You
might suggest coaching by either an outsourced executive coach or someone in
HR, if that is appropriate.
It
often helps to start with a 360 review that can be targeted for specified
behaviors to modify.
Through
effective shadow coaching, identifying new habits, eliminating bad habits, and
being accountable, people skills can be learned and talent can be retained.
Submit future
questions to
Workshops, Training
Oct. 6, 2002
The OD Learning Group:
“Acquiring and
Retaining Clients”
Oct. 11, 2002
Boston Facilitators
“Facilitating
Strategic Planning”
Nov. 9-10, 2002
Babson College
“Family Business Forum”
Dec. 12, 2002
CPA/Law Forum
“Building Better
Client Relations by Improving Your Communication Skills”
Feb. 8, 2003
Cambridge Hospital/ Harvard Medical School Continuing Education
“The Role of Coaching”
Management Training
Multimode Approach:
A comprehensive management-training tool for all levels of management
Ö
Individual Coaching
Ö
Group Coaching
Ö
Management Skills Workshops
For information on services: www.atlanticconsultants.com
Bonni Carson DiMatteo
www.atlanticconsultants.com
(781) 235-7555
© 2002 Bonni Carson DiMatteo. All rights reserved. Feel free to forward
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