Earlier this year, the venerable Crain’s Chicago Business wrote a feature story focusing on corporate retreat spots within 200 miles of Chicago.

Douglas/Saugatuck, aka the Art Coast of Michigan was no where on that list, despite the fact that Saugatuck is 146.2 miles from the Loop.  Why? Perhaps the area needs a B2B alternate branding idea?  The Fresh Coast is already working– maybe parlay that into fresh ideas?  We digress…

Before we get to the merits of having a retreat destination such as the Fresh (Ideas) Coast of Michigan (see?  kinda has a ring to it), let’s look at the value of retreats themselves, and why they are even still done.

Pre-Sarbanes-Oxley, retreats were sometimes derisively called boondoggles, and perhaps rightly so. Lavish locales and venues, lack of focus — aside from alcohol and non-work related exploits were all part of the package.  >>Insert your own story here (or better in the comments) of the bad /wasteful behavior you yourself have seen 😉 <<

Early in Howard Schultz’s engagingly written book, Onward, he describes why he came back to lead Starbucks, and how he needed to get his leadership team back on-board with his vision.  An early retreat helped galvanize the troops and refocus them on the true mission of Starbucks.

Can a retreat really create that kind of foundation for collaboration and leadership?

Rather than directly answer that question, let’s step back and look at LinkedIn, where a lot of business discussions revolve around “purpose driven” marketing– that is — how companies that focus on bettering the world, their employees, their communities– actually perform better.  Check out this story on the discussion at Insights2020 at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas: it puts forth that very premise. These are the kind of discussions that are enabled in part by out-of-office venues.

Further to the point of perspective, LinkedIn did a study with TNS focusing on the different mindsets people have in their professional and their personal lives.  That line is getting more and more blurred with the evolution of today’s digital/connected world.  In light of all this, “going off the grid” is considered a luxury anymore.

In the context of our professional colleagues, what better way to think out of the box than literally getting out of the box (office) to experience each other’s unique points of view? That is the ultimate definition and value of diversity.

A better way to understand that diversity also happens to be a good place to start in planning a retreat.  Several personality assessment tools exist, but one of my favorites is the Birkman assessment.   According to them:

“Your Birkman feedback will impact every relationship in your life by allowing you to understand how your motivations, behaviors, and perceptions are unique to only you. This profound self and interpersonal knowledge has countless applications to home and work life…Comparative and group reporting is exceptionally useful for talent selection, conflict resolution, team building, and employee on-boarding.”

Having an assessment as pre-work serves as an ice-breaker to better understand each other’s personal styles and further enable collaboration.  Implicit to this process is the fundamental piece of having a clear objective for the retreat itself.  That objective could be as simple as creating better collaboration and communication.  The subsequent strategies to accomplish those objectives become the activities that are part of the retreat, which brings us to the choice of our locale.

Crain’s initial premise of establishing a radius from your workplace (in the case of within 200 miles of Chicago) fulfilled adherence to a financial governance criterion.  But, it was remiss in not considering the Fresh (Ideas) Coast of Michigan, aka the Douglas-Saugatuck area, especially considering the diversity of activities that are at one’s disposal.

Let’s consider a few team building concepts:

Steps up Mt. Baldy– make it into a group challenge!

Golf Scramble

Apple Picking

Kayak Race

..Beach Volleyball..Dune Races.. you get the idea.

After all the team building, the brainstorming discussions, and shared meals… last but not least, consider accommodations that will make your colleagues comfortable and in the mood to collaborate.

What better way to build a virtual neighborhood than renting houses in a quaint village like Douglas, MI?  In addition to RWP, there are several lovely cottages within a few block radius.

Onward!

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