Why Corporate Leaders Need Times of Retreat

As a leadership coach, I often come into contact with corporate leaders who are tired, frustrated and on the verge of burnt out. I regularly hear of the inability to focus, feeling overwhelmed and struggling constantly with work life balance. While teaching a Leadership Development Program in China for Fortune 500 leaders several years ago, I was shocked to look around the room at the depleted and exhausted leaders who arrived for the 4 day training program. In agreement with my Chinese business partner, we redesigned the curriculum to start the day with Tai Chi and contemplation time in nature, doing a portion of our leadership exploration work outside in nature at the base rnof the beautiful Qingcheng Mountain, home of Taoism. On the last day we climbed the amazing mountain covered in temples. Leaders left the leadership retreat saying it was the best training they had attended and many said they felt more relaxed than they had in 10 years. The unique blend of relaxation time in nature, combined with powerful coaching and NLP techniques totally shifted how they saw their organization, team members, work/life balance and their goals for the future and brought in many insights and new and creative ways to reach their goals. I have been coaching and training for almost 2 decades and have worked with thousands of executives and leaders around the world. When I encounter situations with executives who are tired, stressed and frustrated in the current role, the first question I normally ask is “when was the last time you took a retreat?” General responses to this question speak to the lack of time for retreat – “I am just too busy to take time off,” “Who else will do my job in my absence?” or, “I just can’t afford this type of luxury right now.” I would argue, however, that if you are too busy to take time off, you feel you are indispensable, even for a short time period or you don’t think you can afford a retreat – you are actually a prime retreat candidate! The word retreat, as we are using it here, is defined as withdrawal for prayer and study and meditation. It is a time of rejuvenation and refreshment where individuals can regain focus and consider new ideas. Often in these private times, individuals make great breakthroughs as they consider the current situations in their work and personal life and explore new options and ways of being in their leadership role. As a coach, I consider myself very fortunate to be able to lead people through these intimate retreat times and help them deepen their understanding of purpose, create and view the challenges from a completely different perspective and support them in developing new ways of thinking and being as they develop their skills and abilities as leader. I live in Northern California, an area rich in natural beauty and idyllic spots that just beckon one to take some time to breathe and reflect. And not surprisingly, it is the perfect sanctuary for a retreat. This area offers an amazing choice of body workers and good organic food. I have had the privilege of leading both one-on-one retreats and small group retreats in this wonderful setting – helping participants to learn the important skill of self-awareness and mindfulness. In this peaceful setting these leaders of business and industry are able to refresh and re-create themselves. Through the work we do together and/or in small groups, they learn to give themselves permission to refine their path and find the clarity they so often desire. While most people I talk to don’t argue point that retreats are a good idea, many contest the idea that they are a necessary part of a leader’s growth and development. However I often find that after a retreat session, the business leaders I work with tell me that they didn’t realize how much they needed time out to reflect and review their life in a rejuvenation experience. They are often amazed that they go back to their work and their personal lives, with new enthusiasm and energy. I believe the retreat space is a very important part of the inner work for leaders. So, perhaps you are considering a time of retreat for your top level executives. You might be asking, “What should we expect from this experience?” This is another question that I hear regularly. It is one that does not have cookie-cutter answer for each group. I normally respond by explaining what a time of retreat “might” look like for them, and include some of the following ideas: •Peace and quiet – Often leadership retreat attendees just need a break from all the noise. They need to get away from the phone, from technology, from the hustle and bustle of life and take some time to just listen. Not to hear – but to listen to what the world is telling them. A retreat usually has a lot of quiet time built into the schedule. • Targeted work time – This is not “work” in the corporate sense of the word, but rather what the executive team wants to work on. Sometimes this is done in one-on-one sessions with several coaches present at the retreat, while other times it can be in a small group with other leaders who simply take the time to listen and share ideas. This targeted work time is custom designed to fit the specific needs of your executive team. It can be used as team building, working with each team member on where they are in their current leadership journey, exploring how leaders work together in regards to the larger organizations mission, exploring what is working and what is not working and creating strategy and timeline for moving forward. ALCN retreats combine coaching, NLP and training that is custom designed for your needs with the backdrop of nature to support your team thinking in new and creative ways. It’s a great opportunity to get to know your executive team at a whole new level. • Thinking and Discovery – Going on leadership retreat is about taking the time to think through your role as top level executive. It also gives you a unique opportunity to discover a new way of viewing the world around as a response to what you are uncovering about yourself during your time of retreat. • Unplugging – The purpose of a time of retreat is to unplug from the world around you in an effort to gain clarity about your present state of being. It is a time to silence the phone (or turn it off altogether!) and focus on your purpose as a leader. Often times in these moments of unplugging, leaders will gain the focus they just can’t seem to find in the corporate setting. ALCN provides a questionnaire and will do an individual coaching session before the retreat to define what you would like to accomplish during the retreat. We explore what you want to focus on in the retreat and what you want to leave with.” When this clarity is gained beforehand, the retreat participants and the coach are both focused and moving towards that desired end result. • Ideas and Questions – A times of retreat often leaves leaders with a plethora of ideas. As they gain clarity about the purpose of their retreat, they are better able to tune into the ideas that will help them be more effective as a leader. However, retreats can also create a lot of questions as well. Some individuals leave with the ideas they want to incorporate into their leadership role, but do not have a clear cut path to do this. This is where a leadership coach can help guide the participant even after the time of retreat and guide them in determining the next steps. • Accountability – Because retreats often create ideas and questions, it is crucial to have the coach hold the leader(s) accountable and provide support as they work towards implementation and even further exploration and discovery of their pathways to success. I often tell my clients, that a leadership retreat is all about helping executives remove the barriers that hold them back from being successful in their role. It is a place of solace in which they can simply “BE.” In this time of retreat they do not have the daily stressors pulling at them. This allows the leader to focus on becoming the type of leader they aspire to be, and helps them create the pathways to reach that point. I also remind retreat participants, that this is a time of journey. The retreat is not the final destination, nor is their current position as a leader, but rather it is all an important part of their inner journey as a leader, as they discover new and different pathways to be successful. In the end, a retreat is about intentionality. Executives who attend retreats are taking an intentional step to become a stronger, more understanding and more effective leader. It is important to remember that a retreat is not a “miracle drug” that will cure all your downfalls as a leader. Rather, it is a tool to help uncover areas of weakness and develop a plan towards future growth and success. It is a gift to yourself to support you in bringing your best self forward in your leadership role and your life. At Academy of Leadership Coaching & NLP (ALCN), we offer a variety of custom designed retreats for leaders. These include executive retreats for three or four leaders who work with a coach to help each other through a variety of team building and awareness creating exercises around the desired area the executive team wishes to work on. For more information on the importance of retreats for individuals in leadership roles, or to create your own customized retreat, please contact us.