Certain times of the year are big for ‘off sites.’ Those meetings where you are invited to a nice hotel or small conference centre in the middle of nowhere and told to wear business casual, but not jeans. Wearing jeans can be the highlight of these events. What are they going to do, send me home to change or give me lines to write in detention?
Mainly held around the end/beginning of financial years; we go to review how and what we did and to plan to do different things to get an even better outcome. For some reason there is a resurgence of off sites in July. Maybe it’s a pat on the back as the summer holidays approach, or simply because we are half way through the year and its a good time to check progress.
Cynics love to hate away days. Optimists hate to love away days, but they do.
I’m actually a fan of micro off sites. Take a small group of managers that can influence their own destinies and mix the day with some downtime and light touch objective setting they can really help to make progress.
So having said all that, why do we groan at the prospect. I know I do, my friends do, and some of my colleagues do. Certainly the couple on the train as I write this do. In fact they are discussing tips on faking enthusiasm for the event. The truth is they are necessary. From time to time we must stop what we are doing, pop our heads out of the trench and take a look around at where our colleagues are at. After all, you don’t want to find yourself the only person jeans and in the wrong trench.
Mainly held around the end/beginning of financial years; we go to review how and what we did and to plan to do different things to get an even better outcome. For some reason there is a resurgence of off sites in July. Maybe it’s a pat on the back as the summer holidays approach, or simply because we are half way through the year and its a good time to check progress.
Cynics love to hate away days. Optimists hate to love away days, but they do.
I’m actually a fan of micro off sites. Take a small group of managers that can influence their own destinies and mix the day with some downtime and light touch objective setting they can really help to make progress.
So having said all that, why do we groan at the prospect. I know I do, my friends do, and some of my colleagues do. Certainly the couple on the train as I write this do. In fact they are discussing tips on faking enthusiasm for the event. The truth is they are necessary. From time to time we must stop what we are doing, pop our heads out of the trench and take a look around at where our colleagues are at. After all, you don’t want to find yourself the only person jeans and in the wrong trench.
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