At the Lefko Group, we hate surprises. When you call us to schedule a retreat, here’s what will happen:

You’ll speak to our founder and CEO, Mark Lefko.

He’ll ask you a number of questions, foremost of which is “What has to happen in your organization to make this retreat a worthwhile investment of time and money?” You may not know. Many people don’t.

The Business Result

A retreat has to have a concrete payoff, a business result. You want to write a strategic plan, invent a service, or get people communicating and sharing information, so that the organization can react quickly to marketplace changes. Those are worthy goals. They each have a substantial ROI.

The Participants

Once you’re clear about your goals, you’ll discuss who should attend. We primarily work with the executive team, because they have the most leverage in the organization.

The Logistics

You’ll then discuss how long the retreat should be, how to invite the people who need to be there, where to hold it, how to get there, what the rooms should look like, and what to serve for maximum energy.

Preparation and Benchmarks

A couple of weeks before the retreat, Mark will meet with all the participants. He can do it in-person or through conference calls. He’ll talk about your objectives, what to expect, and how to prepare. Everyone gets homework. They’ll also be given an anonymous online survey. The survey acts as a benchmark to measure progress.

Once Mark receives the completed surveys and homework, he works with you and any other chosen leaders to finalize the agenda items.

The Retreat and Its Takeaways

The retreat itself is highly interactive. Everyone participates, no one escapes. You review the survey results and do exercises. Discussions get going. There’re breakout groups and brainstorming sessions. People analyze business models. They talk about their accomplishments and challenges, and their goals for the company. Assumptions are uncovered. There’s music, color, and toys. There’s friendly competition among groups. A Lefko Group associate takes full notes, so nothing is lost.

All the while, Mark is asking people for takeaways. What are they learning? Why is that important? How can they use it to benefit themselves and the company? Over and over again, he gets participants to come up with their own meaning and use for what’s being created.

At retreat’s end, he leads a debrief, so the participants can hit the ground running. What have you each agreed to? What decisions were made? Who will champion each project? How will you make things work? What measures will you use? What issues remain open, which you’ll address at a future meeting? 

Once you’ve tied down all the accountabilities, the retreat’s over. If that’s all the help you need from us, we’re honored to have helped.

Follow Up

If you’d like our continued guidance, we can arrange monthly or quarterly follow-up meetings, during which we’ll help you make course corrections or tackle new initiatives.

To learn more, click Our Services.