In the 9-to-5 world, rigid schedules can put the squeeze on business brainstorming. Nascent enterprises need creativity more than money, as ideas are what fuel their plans for expansion.
Consider the sensory rich, contemplative atmosphere of a bed and breakfast inn when booking your next retreat. A cozy inn offers conference managers an ideal venue for creating those quiet interludes and one-on-one conversations that spark fresh approaches to business expansion.
If you’ve been tasked with organizing a corporate retreat, here’s a few tips for how to add contemplative elements to your small-group gathering.
Your team may be itching to get down to business, but the point of a retreat is to clear the mind and leave the daily grind behind so new ideas can freely flow. On arrival day, keep things informal.
Use a Zen-like approach to make room for those quiet interludes. Busyness and the hustle-and-bustle mindset act like a giant whiteboard eraser, wiping your mind of everything except for what’s right there in front of you. Park that linear 1-2-3 mindset and encourage everyone to remain totally unproductive those first few hours after arrival.
Ask everyone to leave their shoes by the front door when they enter the inn. There’s something about being barefoot that harkens one back to childhood — a time when the imagination reigned free. Invite your team members to the oft-neglected sensation of wriggling those unshod toes freely.
When it’s time to convene the team for the first brainstorming session, invite participants to sit cross-legged on cushions you’ve positioned on the floor.
Your body memory of all those thousands of hours you squatted down to play with your elementary school friends will help your mind switch from linear thinking to seeing those business challenges in a new light.
Have team members take turns at the whiteboard you brought along, freely expressing ideas with colored markers and a large writing pad on an easel. Spur on the more creative brainstormers, and let laughter reign. At this point, your team should be squarely in the ‘zone‘ — that place where the mind generates a rush of creative solutions to those conundrums your company has been struggling with for months.
Lastly, consider holding a similar session at least once year, and for startups, a twice-annual retreat is a great idea to keep your enterprise on the road to success.