Our Retreat Description

The word retreat means two things:

1. “The act of withdrawing from something difficult and dangerous”. 

2. “To move away from danger.” 

During this retreat, we are, in some ways asking your people to do just that. We need you all to move away from the workplace where the stress is and where you are easily contacted to make decisions and solve problems. We do this so that you can enter an environment where we can all gain your complete attention, where you feel “off duty”, and where you can relax surrounded by colleagues who want to make the most out of the time they have together. This is about focusing on what is not working and making it work.

This event is specifically tailored to your organisation's needs, requirements, and desired outcomes. 

It can be for:

• top executives. 
• a combination of your top executives and senior leadership. 
• a mix of your organisation's top decision-makers, HR, directors, managers, team leaders and colleagues. 

Numbers can range from about nine individuals to around 30 people. The venue for the event, along with transport, accommodation and meals, are booked by the organisation taking part. We will guide you about the requirements of the location. 

The retreat weekend (Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday) follows various formats depending on discussions leading up to the weekend. An example of a past event is shown below. 

Request a discussion to help identify the key objectives and ingredients of your Corporate Retreat. 

An example of a recent event  

Day One:

• Event briefing  
• Share our organisational and personal objectives. (Gathered before the event).
• The jigsaw activity (a short, fun activity to get your creative minds in gear).
• The basics of Emotional Intelligence and why it is critical to organisational communication.
• ES² and our Moccasin Approach^® and our ARCHWAY Approach^® (our ground rules for success). 
• Organisational self-assessment and analysis. (Identifying unseen barriers/blockers). 
• How to become more self-aware by working with colleagues. 
• Break out group work and wash up, ready for the morning.
• Evening to relax. 

Day Two:

• “Macs Cafe” (A challenging activity to get those brains going). 
• Aligning organisational values with present experienced culture.
• Create a template for Personal Profiles (possibly). 
• Break out group work to establish ideas and possible solutions to yesterday's barriers/blockers.
• The start of our Organisational Culture Engagement Team (OCET). 
• A plan for the future. 
• Next steps and committing to our future plans. (Accountability and Responsibility).
• Wash up and depart the venue.  

Who Should Attend and Why?

Who? - As mentioned above - you decide: 

• top executives. 
• a combination of your top executives and senior leadership.
• a mix of your organisation's top decision-makers, HR, directors, managers, team leaders and colleagues. 

Why? - If your culture is perfect and everyone is living your agreed and lived values, then you do not require this event. If not, then you do.

In our opinion, Organisational Culture (OC) is split into three types:

• Presented culture– where the organisation proudly portrays the culture they say or think (are told) everyone exhibits.
• Experienced culture– the actual feeling of the organisation’s culture that people experience from working there. (The one that is whispered about). 
• Localised culture– this can be completely different between two teams next to each other.

When you create and launch your OCET Team (Organisational Culture Engagement Team), you will empower it to do many things we’d happily recommend, but most of all, this team will become the engine that drives your OC programme onwards and upwards to success and a far better working environment. This will not be easy, but the more you invest in this, the quicker the difference will be felt across the organisation.

If you want a superb OC, want your people to talk openly about how great it is to work in your organisation (and mean it), then dig deep, be honest, bring out the truth and get stuck into a Corporate Retreat with us.   

Our Delivery Options

We are sure you will understand why this event must be face-to-face. On one occasion, we managed to bring a person in on a Zoom call who was too ill to attend in person, but they said that their experience lacked that personal “part of the team” feeling. 

These events can be held at a location of your choice or, if you wish, at the Macdonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham, located directly across from the Birmingham New Street train station. 

All Expenses

ALL our expenses are included in our daily rate, so will be no other charges applied (unless additional add-ons are required, such as catch-up sessions when someone misses a workshop).