Does your company hold retreats? You may call them conferences. I think of conferences slightly different than retreats. Retreats are to get away from the office setting, let the creative "juices" flow in a more relaxed and calm setting, and produce a set of thoughts, ideas, and/or goals plan. There may be even general action steps outlined with more specific steps to be determined once others in the company are brought in and propose/contribute exact steps and achievements.
Fortune Magazine in their April 9, 2012 issue has a 1 page article on Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon. He does something that is rather unique - - Jeff takes himself only on a retreat. Nobody else goes with him.
It clears his mind with no one or objects (phones) to disrupt his thoughts. Within 2-3 days, Jeff has several clear ideas he wants to share with his senior team. They may or may not go anywhere. That is why Jeff needs to let others process the retreat ideas and see if they are workable or not.
Small business owners can take this "1 person retreat" and shape it into something that could work not only for a CEO with 56,200 employees, but for their size company too.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Can't take off 2-3 days? Take off what you can. Make it a block of time and make it during office hours.
2. The retreat has to be in a location where it is ultra quiet. No one is around you. No one can contact you. No, it can't be at your home or office. Don't you look at that cell phone to see what or who is going on. You won't be able to give your brain entirely to the creative session if half of it is pulling duty elsewhere. Let the world be.
3. Get a white board. Don't ask me why, but it works the best for getting the ideas to flow from brain to writing. Ok, you can use your cell phone to take a photo of the board before you erase it. But No More Than That.
4. Jeff brings along a computer (I am sure it is a mobile one, but the article did not designate type) and web surfs. What is out there, what is the buzz, what seems to be moving the chess pieces these days, so to speak. This seems to help Jeff formulate ideas and it might help you too.
5. You may have a trusted team at work to share your ideas or perhaps you are too small. Then reach out to others you trust and ask them for their opinion in a casual setting, say over lunch. But before you do, have your proposals organized. Almost like a resolution or proposed amendment: "Where as.... Therefore it is proposed...." Or think of answering these questions: Why do you need to make a change? What is the purpose? How is it going to help your business? What is the value? Long or short term change? How are you going to evaluate it? Cost? Supplies? Employee involvement? These of course are just a few of the questions you need to ask once the creative retreat is over. Don't think of these during the retreat. You want to concentrate on the panoramic view first and then see where it leads, if at all, once you return to work.
You have worked hard to keep your business doors open through this recession. You know it is not over and you need to keep up and keep going. By stepping out of the office you will give your company a better chance not only to survive but to thrive.
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