We are planning our next annual leadership offsite, but in the past, my team has struggled to stay focused and we end up answering urgent client emails during our strategic sessions. How do we establish the ground rules and environment needed to keep everyone present and engaged?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your leadership team is checking emails during an offsite, you are not actually running an offsite; you are just working from a different location. To build a healthy, cohesive, and functional leadership team, you must establish strict ground rules before you arrive. First, change the venue. Do not host the session at your office or at a hotel down the street where people can easily slide back into their daily routines. Choose a location at least an hour away to create a psychological boundary. Second, implement a strict tech-free rule. All laptops, tablets, and phones must be placed in a basket at the door. You will have designated break times every ninety minutes to check messages and respond to true emergencies. Third, assign interim owners for every department head before the offsite begins. Your team must empower their direct reports to make decisions in their absence so they do not feel the need to constantly monitor their phones. During the session, keep the focus entirely on high-level strategic alignment, your V/TO®, and solving major organizational Rocks. Use the IDS® process to tackle your issues list directly. If a leader cannot disconnect for two days, it is a sign that they have not built a reliable system or department underneath them. A truly exit-ready business has a leadership team that can step away without the operation collapsing. Treat the offsite as a test run for your eventual transition.