Last month we took another 16 inspiring leaders away for our biennial leadership retreat. As with the 2015 event, the guests were mostly from the not-for-profit sectors, but with diverse experience to offer. Guests were asked to bring something to share (a gift) and something they wanted to get from the weekend (a challenge).
The main themes that emerged were then explored throughout the event, and are summarised in our accompanying report:
- Making imperfect things happen: not letting perfectionism or lack of clarity paralyse us. Tip: If you’re doing nothing, do something; if you’re doing something, do more of it. If you’re doing more, do it better. (See @MichaelMarmot for more on this helpful tip).
- Personal and organisational capacity: knowing our limits, saying no and enlisting/accepting the goodwill of others. Tip: instead of thinking about saying ‘no’ to things, think about it as allowing you to say yes to others. We say no to busyness, stress addiction and always being ‘on’, so we can say yes to development, opportunities, purpose and being our best selves.
- Stepping into who you want to be: finding a home where our values belong. Tip: make a list of what’s right for you – your values, focus and vision. Organisational values set the context, but for things to work there has to be some convergence between personal and organisational values.
- Biting the hand that feeds: getting the right balance between ‘critic’ and ‘friend’. Tip: Agree with colleagues where you draw the line between what is said publicly and privately. Know the ‘red lines’ which aren’t crossed.
Download the report and find out more. It won’t give quite the same magic people that speak about in their feedback below, but it’s still an interesting and inspiring read.
Feedback:
‘Simply superb weekend! Refreshing, revitalising! Thank you for inviting me to join this special group of people!’
‘Courageous, fun, honest, talented, generous, loving, supportive. Wonderful experience.’
‘I have a wonderful sense of calm and a feeling that – for the first time in a very long time – my batteries are fully charged. And that is thanks to you all. Particular thanks to the W&G team for making the magic happen!’
‘My cup is full! Thank you everyone for a nourishing and inspiring weekend that will keep me going for some time. Graeme, Jen and Jenny – you are an inspiration and I feel privileged to know all of you and to be a part of the Ardoch retreat.’
‘Absolutely buzzing after an utterly inspiring trip to Ardoch with some utterly brilliant people. A real honour to be involved. So much food for thought. And a very much needed break from the norm.’
‘It really shone a light for me on the importance of standing back, accepting support, being creative about ways in which support can present itself and taking the time to reflectively restore. Along with the importance of having fun and sharing. I think the weekend and its lessons and the inspiration I took from that amazing group of people will stay with me forever.’