In How to Lead Work Teams, Fran Rees writes that successful teamwork involves two equally important elements: completing tasks as planned and getting along as a team. In addition, we know from experience that how we work together greatly affects performance, morale, and goal achievement. Schools often hold administrative retreats for their office staff to improve these three aspects. Therefore, reflecting, having fun, and strengthening connections are at the core of any retreat.
Even though the benefits of team-building are well known, heads of school might believe that a retreat is an undertaking too large, both in planning and budgeting. But with creativity, it’s possible to maximize limited resources and ensure that a retreat has a lasting impact on your school’s staff. That’s what we found when the director of operations and I planned and executed an administrative retreat for our school, Princeton Montessori School (New Jersey). Here we share how we were able to make the most of an administrative retreat on less than $3,000.
The Key: Careful Planning
As a new head of school, I wanted to express my vision for a positive work environment. We decided that a three-day weekend retreat of team-building activities and reflective exercises would benefit our 15-member administrative team as we transitioned to new leadership roles.
The time and place: We booked a large historic rental home in a New Jersey coastal town close enough so the team would not incur travel expenses, yet different enough to build excitement. Scheduling the retreat in October during the town’s low/off-peak season helped reduce the rental venue expenses.
For our retreat's location, we booked a rental on Long Beach Island, along the Jersey Shore. We made sure the home could accommodate our group comfortably, with enough meeting spaces and quiet breakout areas. Credit: Princeton Montessori School
The goals: The retreat’s overarching purpose was to bring the team together under new leadership. We sought to provide everyone with a safe place to share their professional goals and express any concerns about the future. We would also provide an opportunity for professional growth by focusing on employees’ unique working styles as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
The activities: These would be minimally leader-directed and mostly participant-focused. We would fold in ideas from a few management and personal growth books we read. (See list below.) The tone would be friendly, the environment casual, and the ground rules would promote relaxation, openness, and trust.
The long-term benefits: Once we returned to campus, the team would share responsibility for keeping alive the trust, connections, training, and purpose we nurtured together.
The Retreat
We held work sessions Friday evening and Saturday morning and afternoon. Sunday was an optional day to enjoy the beach or return home to family. During the weekend, we balanced group discussion and reflection with a mix of activities for individuals, small groups, and the full group.
To build camaraderie and open up conversation, we kicked things off on Friday night by collectively preparing a dinner of pasta and salad. Each person chose a task from a pile of prepared cards, which included setting the table, preparing a salad, and cleaning up. It was interesting to see people’s personalities emerge while putting the dinner together. Some team members took charge, some focused on food quality, others raced to finish first, and others asked lots of questions to properly complete their task. These differences helped launch our discussion about our unique personality styles the next morning.
While we were engaged in team activities on Saturday, a participant shared an insight that guided the weekend discussion: “None of us is as smart as all of us.” We also discussed ways to improve our working relationships with others by communicating politely and with power.
We wrapped up by discussing what we learned about ourselves and our team and how we planned to move forward with this new knowledge. Sharing our intentions aloud made each of us accountable to follow through. These intentions became personal goals to which we would aspire during the year.
Retreat participants pose for a group photo. Credit: Princeton Montessori School
Guiding Resources
Four books guided our retreat activities. We shared excerpts and brought multiple copies for optional night reading. Here we share the book’s main ideas and how we incorporated them.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni
The key to creating high-performing teams is understanding the five team dysfunctions and addressing each one separately. The five dysfunctions described in the book include absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results.
To overcome team dysfunction, the leader must set a positive example and tone. He or she must be the first to be vulnerable, encourage debate, make responsibilities and deadlines clear, set the team’s standards, and be clear about expectations of the team’s results.
During the retreat, we divided the large group into five smaller groups. Each one investigated one of the five dysfunctions, described examples related to our team, and then shared insights with the full group.
The Power of Positive Confrontation, by Barbara Pachter
When employees feel slighted, misunderstood, annoyed, taken advantage of, or treated rudely, most will cope by avoiding their bosses, ignoring coworkers, complaining to friends, pounding their fists, or ranting on social media. They often miss the most effective alternative: confronting positively.
This book offers helpful behavioral techniques for polite and powerful confrontation by first identifying what’s bothering you and then determining what it is you want from the other person. The author explains that by understanding your own position and the other person’s point of view, you can make a conscious choice to say something directly, responsibly, and powerfully.
Reading excerpts was a springboard for reflecting on our personal confrontation styles and developing individual plans for positively confronting others.
How to Lead Work Teams, by Fran Rees
This book explores how to develop the facilitation skills necessary for becoming a successful team leader.
The author’s process helped us improve our roles as leaders, coaches, motivators, and facilitators. Rees's innovative L.E.A.D. model (Lead with a purpose, Empower to participate, Aim for consensus, and Direct the process) helped us lead the team during the retreat.
Understanding the Enneagram, by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson
This is a leading guide to the Enneagram, the ancient symbol of human personality used globally to bring about personal growth.
We each examined our own personality style through the lens of the Enneagram, and then used this understanding to reflect on our strengths and weaknesses. We shared with the group ways that others could help us perform at our best. We also examined behaviors that, based on our unique style, would make us less productive.
Outcomes
Our administrative team benefited from the retreat in three ways. First, we were able to break down personal barriers through team-building activities. Each person connected with others who weren’t in their immediate circle. Trust and goodwill between team members grew — and continued for some time after the retreat.
Moreover, discussing concepts from the books gave us a common language to use back on campus. Team members discovered new ways to effectively communicate with their co-workers. We began to understand one another more deeply as we explored our different personalities.
Finally, we grew individually and collectively by probing our working styles, strengths, and weaknesses, and then assessing how these can converge to build a high-performing work team.
1. Preplan. Decide the goals, activities, and long-term benefits 12 months in advance. Decide who will design the retreat and schedule dates and secure destination.
2. Survey staff. Survey retreat participants about the goals they think the team should focus on 10-12 months beforehand. Ask questions about their priorities, what’s important to them, etc.
3. Build excitement. To allow participants ample time to reserve the date on their calendars, create an invitation that hints at the fun and value of the retreat six months in advance. Ask for prompt RSVPs, especially if your retreat will occur outside of normal working hours.
We developed a nautical theme for our retreat (Getting “on board,” having a new “captain,” “sailing the ship,” etc.). All materials cohesively supported the theme and had a consistent look to them. This attention to detail gave the participants the feeling they were working on something important. Credit: Princeton Montessori School
4. Communicate beforehand. Two months before the retreat, plan to send at least two “sneak peeks” for what’s ahead. Clearly explain whether participants must complete any reading assignments or pre-work before their arrival.
5. Divide and conquer tasks. One month before the retreat, create a sign-up sheet with housekeeping tasks to be completed by the participants before, during, and after the retreat (i.e. food to bring, snacks, clean-up tasks, etc.).
6. Confirm the venue reservations. Two to four weeks beforehand, be sure all reservations and deposits are paid as needed. Make sure all participants have the information they need to arrive safely at the destination (timing, directions, parking, phone number, what to bring, etc.).
7. Set up early. On the day of the retreat, plan to arrive ahead of time to maximize small and large group work and establish a comfortable environment.
8. Provide a mix of activities. As a retreat leader, balance ice-breakers with meaningful discussion and readings to spur new thinking on old problems.
9. Solicit feedback. The day after the retreat ends, ask participants to share two positive aspects of the experience and one suggestion for improvement. By sending this request soon after the retreat ends, experiences will be fresh in everyone’s minds.
10. Follow up. Keep new insights top of mind and personal connections healthy once back on campus. For six to 12 months following the retreat, send a monthly reminder message to all participants with key insights, photos, or inspiration.
