Secrets of a Successful Retreat

Source: Capstone Connection

Jean Caragher, president of Capstone Marketing and a leading consultant to accounting firms, offers tips for conducting successful retreats. Following are excerpts, reproduced with permission.

• Planning is the key to a successful retreat. Determine the goals of your retreat by asking the partners why they want a retreat and what they hope to accomplish. Seeking input from managers and staff is also helpful to provide a different perspective on key issues.
• Be flexible when planning your agenda. A draft agenda should be circulated among the participants to obtain additional suggestions for discussion. Prioritize your agenda items to ensure that the most critical items are covered first. Strike a balance between meeting time and social activities.
• Where should your retreat be held? Most agree that off-site locations work best.
• Retreats aren't only for partners. Many firms include managers and, sometimes, supervisors.
• The facilitator should be someone who can see things objectively and help keep the agenda on track. It is difficult for a firm member to express his opinion while simultaneously trying to gain consensus from the group. A firm member may also inhibit participation.
• Although many firms feel that facilitators make or break a retreat, not all firms use them. Jim Howard, managing partner of Smith & Howard, P.C., facilitates his firm's retreats. "Our experience," Howard says, "has been that most facilitators are in their box and they will try to pull you in as opposed to helping you get where you want to go. If you use a facilitator, don't let them impart their biases."
• Your retreat does not end with its adjournment. The facilitator will review the accomplishments of the retreat and discuss next steps. A summary should be prepared for all retreat participants including follow-up items, those responsible for implementation, and deadlines. Appropriate issues should also be communicated throughout your firm.

For the complete article, click here and read "Planning and Follow Up Keys to Successful Retreats."

From Capstone Connection, Marketing Ideas and Strategies for CPA Firms, Capstone Marketing, www.capstonemarketing.com, May 20, 2010.