Greetings,

It's retreat season! I just returned from a global law firm retreat and will soon travel to meet with a leadership team in the midst of a transformative transaction.

We love facilitating discussions for corporate teams around their desired future state and how they will get there. The impact for them (and often us) is wonderfully tangible. These retreats have served as a great reminder of just how big a difference setting aside time to think and outline priorities collectively makes for a team's productivity and culture.

If you've been meaning to schedule some time for yourself or your team to plan, here's your sign to do it. Whether it's a dedicated internal session or a full-blown retreat facilitated by an external party, the resulting alignment and clarity will leave everyone feeling more confident, focused, and ready to execute. 

Here are a few tips as you evaluate how your team will be more intentional and impactful with their time in the coming months and years: 

• Start early. Most things take longer than you think they will. One way to give yourself grace and ensure success is starting early. Certain your team needs a month for an important project? Plan to start 2 months out.
• Master the art of saying “no.” Every “yes” is a “no” to something else, so take a moment to pause, reflect, and kindly decline if something will not further your team’s priorities.
• Set aside regular “thinking time.” We often get so caught up in the emails and minutiae of the day that we don’t leave ourselves any time to think strategically. Schedule time each week for your own big-picture thinking and build brainstorming into each of your projects. For your team, plan regular retreats or all-hands discussions for your leadership team to benefit from one another's insights.
• Delegate. I have a post-it on my computer reminding me to "only do what only you can do." Training others and letting go of work you don't need to do frees you up to do the important, not just the urgent.

I’d love to hear about how you approach planning for yourself and your team. Reply to this email, and let’s chat.