How to Design a Great Leadership Team Off-site Meeting

"body">Having a central theme allows you to creatively tie all
1. What's the overall purpose of the meeting? Toof the meeting elements together: agenda, venue,
develop a 3 year strategy? Improve teamwork?activities, gift, etc...
Solve a big hairy problem? Sometimes it's a9. Find the right venue. Work with your corporate
combination of a few things, but try to keep it tomeeting planners, your meeting facilitator, or do your
just a few. A great off-site agenda should not lookown search. Most resorts and hotels cater to
like an extended staff meeting. This is an opportunitycorporate meetings and can help you select the best
to take the time needed to strategize, brainstorm,room, meals, and activities. You'll probably work with
debate, reflect, and learn.a conference planner. Make sure you specify AV
2. What's the "desired outcomes"? Desired outcomesneeds, room set-up, meals and breaks, and any other
are a tangible set of deliverables that describe whatdetails.
a successful meeting would look like at the conclusion.10. Begin to work on the key design elements. This is
Examples: "A list of 3-5 three year goals", "A shareda creative process, where you begin to come up
vision", "a shared understanding of each other'swith ways to accomplish the desired outcomes.
concerns". Desired outcomes give you a target toThere could be teambuilding activities, strategy or
shoot for and a way to evaluate the success of theproblem solving sessions, training, and/or
meeting. It also helps drive the creation of thepresentations.
agenda - a way to screen out the clutter that11. Design the high level agenda. The pieces begin to
everyone always seems to want to bolt on.fit together like a puzzle. I often write the key
3. Determine participants and roles. Usually there's oneagenda pieces on post-its, and move them around
meeting leader, participants, maybe a facilitator, anduntil they begin to form a nice flow.
sometimes guests.12. Confirm any outside speakers or other guests.
4. Do a "stakeholder assessment". Who are all the13. Develop the detailed agenda. For each major
key stakeholders for this meeting and what would aagenda segment, determine the what, who, how,
"win" look like for them. Stakeholders may bewhen, and how long.
attending the meeting or they may not. For example,14. Select activities. Activities are a great way to
the manager of the meeting leader is a keyinformally build the team and keep the energy high.
stakeholder. You won't be able to pleased allPick activities that support your meeting purpose and
stakeholders but it helps to least be aware of theirtheme.
needs.15. Send a high level agenda to the participants and
5. Consider the context. What's going on in theany invited guests, including all of the logistical
environment that may influence the participant'sinformation, including maps, dress code, pre-work,
behavior, mindset, or participation? For example, isand any activities.
their a pending downsizing? A new team member? A16. Select a parting gift - some kind of special
restructuring?memento that supports the theme and creates a
6. Establish the dates. Three days is often ideal, twolasting anchor for the experience.
is OK, and anything more than four can turn into a17. Fine-tune the agenda, trouble-shooting potential
death march.snafus and making the inevitable last minute
7. Notify the participants - just have them hold theadjustments.
dates for now.Once the meeting starts, be prepared to make
8. Select an overall "theme" for the meeting. Theadjustments. Things never go as planned, but if you
theme will emerge based on the purpose, desiredfollow these steps, you'll improve you chances of
outcomes, and context. The theme could be "Leadinghaving a great leadership team off-site. Good luck!
change", or "A winning team", or "playing to win".