One day
For one focused question or decision. We agree on the question beforehand and leave with written decisions, owners, and next steps.
Retreats with room to think.
I plan and lead one-, two-, and three-day retreats for leadership teams, boards, and staff. I’m based in Indianapolis and work wherever your team meets.
Compare the retreat formats.
Choose the time around the decision your team needs to make.
Two days
For reconnecting and planning together. Day one hears the different perspectives; day two turns them into decisions and responsibilities.
Three days
For boards and executive teams with connected strategic decisions. More time to examine assumptions and build a plan for the months ahead.
Every format includes preparation, a written summary within the week, a North Star Priorities dashboard, and two follow-up sessions. Fees depend on design time, days on site, and travel. Venue and catering are arranged separately with the property.
Before you choose a date.
I’m based in Indianapolis and travel to where your team meets.
Group size
Six to twenty-five people works well for in-depth discussion. For larger staff groups, I adapt the agenda and how people participate.
Planning time
Allow six to eight weeks where possible. Boards and three-day retreats benefit from closer to twelve weeks for participant input and agenda preparation.
Location and follow-up
The retreat is in person. Planning calls and the two follow-up sessions are usually online. Bring a venue you know, or I can suggest options.
Choose the time your team needs.
One day works for a focused decision. Two or three days give us more time to hear from everyone and work through connected questions.
A focused day together
Description
I help your team work through one question, agree on a decision, and write down what happens next. The planning conversation and participant survey help us use the day well.
Who it’s for
- Leadership teams with a specific decision to make
- Boards agreeing on a priority
- Teams that need time to talk without the usual meeting agenda
What we’ll do
- Agree on the question before we meet
- Make room for discussion and reflection
- Leave with written decisions, owners, and next steps
Two days to reconnect and plan
Description
Two days give us time to understand what is happening, hear from everyone, and return to the question after a walk or a shared meal. We use the second day to make decisions.
Who it’s for
- Teams that need to rebuild trust or connection
- Remote colleagues who rarely spend time together
- Leaders balancing a difficult conversation with planning
What we’ll do
- Facilitated conversations and small-group sessions
- Time outside and an evening meal together
- A final session to agree on responsibilities and dates
An extended leadership retreat
Description
For boards and executive teams with several connected decisions to make, three days let us work through the detail and revisit assumptions before committing to a plan.
Who it’s for
- Boards and executive teams developing a strategy
- Organizations navigating significant change
- Teams that need sustained time away from daily responsibilities
What we’ll do
- Participant input and an agenda prepared in advance
- Working sessions on purpose, priorities, and leadership
- A plan to carry the decisions into the months ahead
A sample two-day retreat agenda.
For a leadership team that needs to agree on priorities and how to work together. I adapt the questions, timing, and activities after hearing from your leaders and everyone attending.
Before everyone arrives
A planning conversation defines the decision and who can make it. The participant survey helps me find the questions people want time for. I use both to shape the agenda and a short preparation brief.
Day oneGet the full picture.
8:30 am–4:30 pm · Optional dinner at 6:30 pm
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30 min
Coffee & arrival
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45 min
Agree on the purpose
Name the question we need to answer, who will make the final call, and how we will handle disagreement. Everyone has a chance to say what would make these two days worthwhile.
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60 min
Hear what the team is experiencing
I bring themes from the participant survey. Quiet writing comes before discussion, so the first voice in the room does not set the whole conversation.
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15 min
Break
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75 min
Work through the question we keep circling
Use specific examples to explore where expectations, decisions, or handoffs break down. Separate what happened from our assumptions about why.
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60 min
Lunch & time outside
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45 min
Reflect in pairs
Take a walk or find a comfortable place to sit. Consider what you heard, what surprised you, and what you may need to reconsider. Bring back only what you agree to share.
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75 min
Put the choices on the table
Turn the morning’s themes into options. Name the tradeoffs, dependencies, and information each option needs. Keep differences visible instead of rushing to agreement.
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15 min
Break
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60 min
Make sense of the day
Compare the options. Write down where the team agrees, where it does not, and what needs another look overnight.
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90 min
An optional dinner together
An unhurried meal. No presentation, activity, or expectation to keep working.
Day one’s written outcome
A clear account of the issue, a short list of options, and the open questions to return to tomorrow.
Day twoDecide what changes.
8:30 am–3:00 pm
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30 min
Coffee & a fresh look
Note what changed after a night away. Reopen an assumption if it needs attention before we make decisions.
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75 min
Test the options
Work through a likely pressure point: a budget cut, a busy month, or a key person being unavailable. Ask what each option would require and what would have to stop.
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15 min
Break
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75 min
Make the decisions
Use the decision process we agreed on. Choose the priorities, record the tradeoffs, and name what we are setting aside. If a decision needs more evidence, assign someone to get it.
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45 min
Agree on how we will work together
Translate the discussion into working agreements for meetings, handoffs, and raising concerns. Use examples from an ordinary week to check that everyone understands them the same way.
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60 min
Lunch & time outside
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60 min
Build the first 90 days
For each priority, name an owner, the first step, and a review date. Check capacity and dependencies before committing. I help the team organize this in its North Star Priorities dashboard.
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30 min
Read the plan back
Ask each owner to explain what happens next. Resolve different interpretations, confirm who will tell the rest of the organization, and put the first progress review on the calendar.
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Close & head home
Day two’s written outcome
Written decisions, working agreements, and a first 90-day plan with owners and review dates.
The follow-through is part of the retreat.
Within the week, I send a written summary of the decisions and remaining questions. Your North Star Priorities dashboard keeps responsibilities visible. We use the two included follow-up sessions to review progress and address what is getting stuck.
Preparation is part of the retreat.
- A planning conversation with your leaders and a survey of everyone attending
- An agenda written for your team and your decision
- Facilitation for the whole retreat, including the parts that get uncomfortable
- Materials, prompts, and whatever the room needs
- Venue recommendations and coordination with the property
- A written summary within the week
- A custom North Star Priorities dashboard for your team
- Two follow-up sessions in the months after, included
I’ve been responsible for the decisions, too.
At CEDIA, I worked with executive leadership and the board on strategy, resources, and investment. I bring that experience to the questions your group needs to resolve.
Strategy with the board
As Senior Vice President of Education and Training, I connected global education and workforce priorities with operational planning. That experience informs how I help your team consider capacity and tradeoffs.
A plan you can return to
The sample retreat agenda shows how discussion becomes written decisions, working agreements, and a first 90-day plan.
A setting that gives your team room.
Bring a venue you already know, or I can help you find one.
The venue should make it easy for people to spend time together and step away when they need a break.
The British Columbia photographs are examples of settings we can consider. Venue and catering are arranged with the property.
Questions that come up early.
How far ahead should we plan?
Six to eight weeks is comfortable. Boards and three-day retreats need closer to twelve so there is time for the survey and the agenda drafts. If you are in a hurry, ask. Sometimes it works.
What group size works best?
Six to twenty-five is the sweet spot for depth. For larger staff groups, I adapt the agenda and how people participate.
Can part of it happen online?
The retreat itself should be in person. Planning calls and the two follow-up sessions are usually online, and that works well.
Who handles the venue?
Either. Bring a place you love or I will suggest a few. I coordinate with the property either way.
How is a retreat priced?
I scope every engagement after a first conversation, based on design time, days on site, and travel. The dashboard and the two follow-up sessions are always included. Venue and catering are arranged with the property, so you always see the whole picture.
Also considering…
What would make the time away worthwhile?
Tell me about your group and the question you want to answer. I will help you choose the right format.
Plan a retreat