One of my greatest pleasures with running EDGE3 is getting teams out of the boardroom and into nature. It also happens to be one of our greatest challenges. It’s tough for a business to close shop for a day or two, and understandably a leader wants to know the value.
“What lasting impact is it going to have on our team?”
As I reflect on my most recent team-building event, an immersive experience on a private island in Muskoka, I took a few quiet moments during the retreat to make some observations of the team.
- I saw real people engage in open honest dialogue sharing what matters most to them
- I witnessed self-discovery, humble realizations and seeing things from someone else’s point of view
- I noticed hierarchy and ego drift away and team members coming up with innovative solutions together
- I observed unconditional support, and team members envisioning the business they would create in the future
- I watched a team become a TRIBE with an overarching theme that, “We are in this together!”
So are there a clear ROI measures for a team building retreat? Absolutely! But it’s critical that leaders and their coach establish clear objectives that can be measured at the end of the event. It’s also essential that each individual team member set intentions at the beginning, and create a powerful action plan at the end. And it doesn’t stop there; follow-up one month after the event will give you the biggest bang for your team-building buck!
And metrics aside, high performers want to continue to learn and grow. Companies that invest in developing their people will be more likely to retain great talent and see rewards in ways that they had never thought imaginable. When a leader gives themselves and their teams permission to recalibrate and explore, it’s truly remarkable what can grow and flourish.
