The Offsite: Your End of Year Cheat Code
So, I had this client call me recently, all excited about doing a leadership program. Great, right? There was only one small problem: their budget was tight, and the timeline was impossible. So, what's a genius like me to do? I dropped one magic word: offsite.
Before you roll your eyes and start thinking about those snooze-fest events with PowerPoint presentations and obligatory trust falls, let me stop you. That's not what I'm talking about. What if I told you an offsite wasn't a waste of time but the beginning of something useful? Crazy, I know.
A smart offsite—one that works—has four simple elements. And no, none of them involve forced group hugs or sharing intimate secrets.
Focus (But Not in a Boring Way)
Focus is essential, but I'm not discussing those meetings where everyone stares at slides until their eyes bleed. A real offsite needs a focus that actually matters. It can be straightforward, but it needs clarity. You need to write it out in a few sentences. One of my favourites from a recent gig was, "By the end of these two days, we will all walk away knowing more about each other, caring more about the company, and figuring out how to make things happen faster together". Boom. Simple, clear and compelling.
Freedom (Because We're Not Prisoners)
Here's where most people screw it up. They pack the schedule so tight it feels like everyone's cramming for an upcoming test. Guess what? That's not freedom. That's torture. The trick is to keep things open. Give people space. Let them decide how they want to participate. For instance, one of my favourite simple "tasks" is to invite folks to explore the venue in pairs to discover things about each other and find spaces that inspire them. The whole point of being offsite is to get away from the grind, not make it worse.
Familiarity (But Don't Make It Weird)
Nobody wants to feel like they've been abducted by a cult and forced into a random team building experiment. The best offsites are a mix of familiar and fresh. You want people to feel comfortable, not like they're on a bad reality show where everyone gets voted off the island. Keep things relatable. Use stuff they know, but sprinkle in just enough new ideas to keep them awake. You want them to be open to learning and not looking for an escape route. My number one tip is to use the real work challenges that need to be solved as the basis of the time away (with parameters) so they are not too daunting. One current challenge, working on it together with fresh thinking, can change the trajectory of a team. Instantly, you create new muscle memory for how it can be done differently.
Fun (Yes, I Said Fun)
Here's an often-forgotten little secret: fun is highly underrated as a tool for teaming. Do you want your team to bond? Let them have some fun. Not the kind of "fun" where everyone's just on the turps, but the type that resonates well beyond the event. A simple example is inviting people to share stories of their most embarrassing moments (this works better after at least one drink). Creating moments of vulnerability with humour, shared experiences, and even a little light hearted chaos brings people together. A team that can laugh at itself is a team that can actually get stuff done. Plus, people remember fun. Fun is team fuel.
End This Year Like You Want to Start Next Year
The year's almost over, and you've got two choices: limp across the finish line or hit reset and start next year with a bang. An offsite gives you that reset. It's a chance to reconnect, reenergize, and get your team on the same page. It allows you to learn from all that's worked well, celebrate the wins, and be excited and pumped to play again.
So, if you're stuck with a small budget, no time, and a team that could use a little something extra, try an offsite. Not the bad kind—the good kind—the one where people enjoy themselves and leave ready to take on the world together.
If you are ready to create the kind of offsite people won't run from? I've got you covered. Email or call me and see how we can plan your next kick ass offsite. Let's do this thing.
