Personal Strategic Offsites – A Game Changing Decision

As a business leader, one of my most impactful practices was carving out half a day every other month for big-picture planning.  What led me to do this was my realization that I was so busy working on day-to-day issues that I was losing sight of the things that truly mattered. My never-ending list of tasks and meetings was getting in the way of focusing on making the business thrive. When I made this move, the company responded, the team felt the change, and I began having a lot more fun.  

A key ingredient of the success of these planning sessions was not allowing myself to work on tactical things or my to-do list.  Instead, I had to spend the time addressing truly strategic items.  The topics included how we could respond to changes in the market or get ahead of competitive threats.  I would work on key personnel moves and think about how to develop key leaders.  I would think about how to advance our culture to the next degree.  I would focus on our product line, pricing, and new ways to impress our customers. 

Getting out of the office for this time was very helpful, as that helped me focus and avoid distractions.  My staff knew that this time was sacred and would only contact me if “the building was on fire”.  I would bring a rough agenda with the freedom to allow my thoughts to go where they needed to go.

The question everyone asks is how to make this happen with an overly demanding schedule.  My response is if you have a vacation day or a key customer meeting, the business keeps running, and you still manage to get done what needs to get done.  So carve out the time for this and see what happens.  Once you do, reach out and let me know how it goes.  Of all the leaders who have tried this, I have never had anyone tell me it was not a game-changing decision!

Written by: Preston Bowles

pbowles@anavogrowth.com