Open the Windows and Doors and Let the Fresh Air Circulate!
Metaphorically speaking? Possibly, but what a business owner and innovation team needs after doing the same plan for 730 days in a row is a gathering of ripe minds. Your employees need to be “harvested.” They are laden with fruitful ideas and a THINK TANK event is a must! It takes a company about a year or two to gain their footing, understand the way things work, and for the staff to be comfortable with working together and sharing responsibilities. Whether or not a business leader has been successful in developing an enterprise foundation of trust and mutual admiration there needs to be a milestone event. As new businesses are approaching their first or second year, it is time to be thinking about planning a staff retreat or seminar. Employees will continue to grow into securely relying on one another for best solutions and reliable work outcomes. By the second year it is time to refresh, revise, and position the team to access the next level.
Learn the basics of planning, this is an important must have to make your staff training effective and cost efficient, and of course a crazy fun and memorable event for the attendees!
How you design this staffing event as an educational theme, seminar, conference, or team retreat to a destination location, depends on your company goals, the specific issues and employee dynamics. If you hired a staff with a diversity of skill levels, disciplines, and educational backgrounds, you can consider including specific speakers to address various industry development topics, for the advancement and information of each group. If you have a strong technical staff who are on top of their fields, they would respond to a Think Tank setting, for innovative direction and future planning. This group could benefit with some unwinding, relaxation, and fun disperse within their work, to balance their Type A-driven lifestyles.
Delight Your Employees – “This is Going to be Good!”
Plan exceptional food, beverages – not from cans or bottles. Change up the conference room for an inspiring venue that will motivate the employees for idea sharing, creative development, and inspirational thinking. Give them a series of challenges, learning modules, progress and updates, and company inspirations. Set up various types of “adventures”, sports or team games, relaxing health spa or work outs, a spectacular dining event, so they have opportunities to network with other co-workers in the evenings.
Prepare personalized welcoming packets for each attendee, and even add a few surprises in their hotel rooms to give them a sense of belonging and anticipation. Small touches make a total difference in your staffs’ attitude of expectation prior to the event. These touches do not have to be costly, a company pen and notepad in a personalized folder with their seminar agenda and venue maps. Invitations to join an after hours gathering, a coupon for a discount spa appointment or a show.
You have invested in high quality information, designed an event to cover the goals, new company policies, and future plans for the companies growth – when all of a sudden breaking news or industry events are announced publicly that could capsize the entire weekend. This is not a loss you can afford. The best option here is to continue the company event, but hire a professional facilitator who is experienced in fielding these kinds of disruptions. When you bring in a professional to help you work through all the details after each presentation, employees feel free to discuss their concerns, questions openly. You’ll learn any positive ideas and solutions they may have. Your event can continue on with your expected results of bringing the teams closer together and working through problem solving to get to the next level.
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Sources:
http://www.profitalist.com/are-you-an-incremental-innovator-or-a-radical-innovator/
http://findafacilitator.com/