In today's economic environment, when doing more with less is not a cliché, but a reality, effective leaders learn to take the occasional time out to "retreat" from the day-to-day performance marathon. Proactive leaders and their teams recognize the need to think strategically about priorities, to realistically assess their strengths and weaknesses in a dynamic and competitive environment, and to think creatively about how to achieve institutional effectiveness.
There is a vast body of literature on teams, ranging from information about the characteristics of effective teams, to creating winning teams, to turning around failing teams and improving productivity through teams. Webster's dictionary defines team as a "group organized to work together" which tells us little about how "teams" work together or toward what end. Too often when the word "team" is used by administrators, it is used interchangeably with "teamwork." Teams have a shared responsibility for institutional success, beyond demonstrating collaboration behavior.
Dr. Kaufman has over twenty-five years of experience in working with senior executives and their teams. Examples of retreat questions that leaders and their teams tackle include:
- How will we align divisional goals with institutional goals and gain buy-in in the process?
- How do we develop a laser-like focus on what we must do differently?
- How do we effectively manage and communicate the changes that need to occur (e.g., reorganization, furlough and layoffs)?
- How do we ensure a successful leadership transition if one is occurring?
- How do we address or eliminate "sacred cow" work?
- From a strategic communication perspective, how do we maximize the leader's time and visibility?
- What workplace changes are occurring that require understanding interdependent roles and working across divisions?
- What are the obstacles we face in implementing agreed upon strategies and how will we address them?
- How do we ensure that we encourage speaking truth to power?
- How do we learn from both our successes and failures using a critical reflection process?
- How do we build resiliency and avoid burnout?
To learn more about customized retreat experiences, contact Dr. Barbara Kaufman at 760.324.3271
"Thanks you so much for your skills in taking us to the next level and helping us navigate through our conversations, knowing just when to question and just when to lay back and let things take their natural course. You are amazing." (Chief Financial Officer)
"Our retreat was well orchestrated, executed and most important we very much got the results we wanted. I particularly liked the order in which you organized the meeting...and the results!" (CEO)
IMC Inc.