Corporate Retreats in a Startup

Early on in my startup career I thought corporate retreats were a waste of time. I just wanted to stay heads-down and crank away at the items on my to do list. Only after experiencing great retreats with EO and YPO did I come to understand the real value.

Here are a few thoughts on corporate retreats in a startup:

• Hire an outside facilitator (find one that is EO or YPO certified) as they are worth the cost (if money is available to do so)
• Find the right balance between work time and fun activity time (depending on the group, I’ve found 60/40 works well with 60% work time)
• Always get outside the building, and preferably outside the city, so that the usual distractions aren’t present
• Come with an agenda and make sure that the goals are accomplished
• Decide on a cell phone policy and enforce it (e.g. turn off all phones and leave them on the middle of the table)
• Give homework in advance to set the tone and get the team thinking about the key topics

Corporate retreats are a great way to bring the team together, strategize the future, and align everyone.

What else? What are some other thoughts on corporate retreats and startups?