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7/28/2019 Cant Beat the Retreat
1/8
Putting on one of Barton Creek Resorts four
championship courses
Cant Beat
the RetreatNothing adds long-term value to yourleadership teams working relationship thanan executive retreat
ByMichael Gelfand
ceo guide: c orporate retreats
54 CHIEFEXECUTIVE.NET MAY/JUNE 2013
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Few initiatives in the business world can consistently
generate enough ROI to compete with what a well-planned
and well-executed executive retreat can do for you and
your team.O course, the benets are not always the hard andquantiable type you can point to on a balance sheet; but when
done the right way and or the right reasons, an executive retreatcan pay huge dividends over the long run, enhancing your
C-suites chemistry and improving your companys bottom line.
While there are myriad business catalysts that can drive a
CEO to plan an executive retreat, the overarching goal or most
is usually the same: To get a leadership team out o the oce
to spend some quality time together while ocused on top-o-
mind issues and away rom the interruptions and distractions
o day-to-day oce lie.
I hold retreats because I need multiple people to hear the
same message, digest it and give me constructive eedback, says
Annette Catino, CEO o QualCare, a Piscataway, New Jersey-
based provider-sponsored managed care organization. Theyhave to bond with each other around a particular message,
break bread with each other and share rest and play time
together. It can be very hard, i not impossible, to do that in
the typical work environment.
Corporate Quality TimeAt New Jersey-based Jennier Connelly Public Relations, retreats
are becoming a regular occurrence. Were very productive at
the oce, but I nd that getting away and having two or three
days to have uninterrupted conversations in a relaxed setting
is very helpul, says ounder and CEO Jennier Connelly.Everyone leaves eeling closer, more bonded and ocused on
the core strategic initiatives weve discussed.
For Connelly, taking executives of-site or a ew days on a
regular basis is rst and oremost a way to oster alignment
and strengthen relationships among her management team
members. My eeling is that we are in business to serve clients,
she says. When our respective house is in order, we can serve
clients ully, [but] when our house is a train wreck, we cant.
As long as our team is bonded together, everyone will be more
inclined to root or the agency and not or [his or her sel].
It cant be about you or me; its got to be about the company.
Retreats help me ensure that my team stays ocused on that.Oten, however, retreats are spurred by the need to address a
more businesslike challenge or transition. My usual goal or a
retreat is to take my senior team ofsite or a deep-dive discussion
o a new product or perhaps a new strategic direction; but in
all cases, were there together because the issue demands our
isolated concentration, says QualCares Catino.
CEOs oten turn to executive retreats when looking to
prepare their management teams or potentially disruptive
change, agrees Mary Lynne Heldmann, a consultant at Santa
Monica, Caliornia-based The Achieve Institute, which works
MAY/JUNE 2013 CHIEFEXECUTIVE.NET 55
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ceo guide: c orporate retreats
with companies to plan efective retreats. In some instances, the CEO sees
the company is entering a new market or changing its business model,or it sees the business environment changing around them and eels the
need to respond to that change, she says. For example, a CEO who was
hired by the board to [transorm] a company has to nd a way to bring
the leadership team into alignment around that changeand thats where
an ofsite can help.
Deine Your PurposeWhile the inspirations and desired goals or retreats may vary, the more
specic a leader can be about the events purpose and what will be expected
o participants, the more likely he or she will eel good about the result.
At QualCare, Catino always takes a hands-on approach to her executiveretreats. I pick the venue, select the topic, set the agenda and even
determine room assignments because I think its important that the senior
leadership team really gets to see each other in [a] diferent light, she says.
One o the most successul retreats Catino planned centered on the
theme o executive succession. On Day One, I gave everyone in the
room a hypothetical scenario to react to: They are at work and receive
a call rom a doctor in a nearby emergency room inorming them that
Im in a coma resulting rom a major car accident, she explains. Their
assignment was to plan on how to deal with my immediate absence. The
group was charged with writing up [a] plan o implementation, taking
into consideration everythingrom who would deal with the board, who
would deal with customers, who would run the oce and who wouldmake decisions on nancial matters.
I let it wide open to see who would grab each topic, and I walked
out o the room, says Catino, who was pleased with the results. The
next morning, they reported back to me, and they had thought o things
I hadnt even talked about, worked through issues that might come up in
my absence and handled all o the important matters.
Catino ultimately presented her teams succession plan to her
companys board. Their hard work to put that plan together made me
eel like I could actually get hit by truck, and that makes me sleep easier
at night, she quips.
DIY Retreat Planning
Understanding what type o retreat you want to have
requires a lot o thought, but identiying the venues
that potentially match your needsand then nalizingthe planning detailsis a time-consuming process
oten better let in the hands o people with special-
ized expertise. I youve dened your requirements
but recognize that you dont have the time or relevant
experience to narrow down the options and nalize
the planning arrangements, look no urther than your
local Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) or ree
guidance. They can provide you with all the help you
need, including:
Inormation on the kinds o hotels and venues in
their region and guidance on the desirability o
each o the diferent types o hotels you should be
considering.
Input on the seasonality o the destination, which
can help you rank your choices when lower rates
are an important actor.
Managing requests or proposals (RFPs) rom
suitable venues based upon your requirements. At
your request, they can even aggregate customized
hotel inormation or your consideration.
Assistance with on-site logistics, pre- and post-
conerence activities and the coordination o local
transportation.
Go to www.conventionbureaus.com to nd CVBs inand around the locations youre considering.
56 CHIEFEXECUTIVE.NET MAY/JUNE 2013
Continued on page 62.
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Barton Creek offers plenty of meeting spaces,
including the Rock House (above)
ceo guide: c orporate retreats
Barton Creek Resort Austin, TXGeneral description: Surrounded by 4,000 acres o magnicent Texas
Hill Country, Barton Creek is nestled into its surroundings as i it grew
there out o the ground along with the trees. With our gol courses (two
designed by celebrated gol course designer Tom Fazio, as well as two other
championship courses designed by some o gols up-and-comers named
Palmer and Crenshaw), Barton Creek clearly attracts guests with a distinct
gol obsession; but recently redesigned guestrooms, an enhanced spa, updated
tennis complex and a collection o restaurants and shopping attractions round
out the resort nicely or olks who simply need a break rom the hustle andbustle. With 43,000 square eet o award-winning meeting space (Barton
Creek was a recent Meetings & Conventions magazine Gold Key award
winner), there are plenty o quiet spaces or serious conversations.
Unique features: Cocktail hotspots abound: The Rock House, located
next to the 18th hole at Fazio Canyons course, is ideal or private parties,
while the Resort Pavilions 40-oot observation deck ofers panoramic sunset
views o the Texas Hill Country. Dont miss the Callaway Perormance Center,
where you can have your shank swing evaluated (and conrmed) by the
same technology the top gol pros use.
Best for:All sizes
Price range: $$
Nearest Transportation:A 30-minute drive rom AustinsBergstrom International Airport
Website: www.bartoncreek.com
Phone number: 512-329-4000
58 CHIEFEXECUTIVE.NET MAY/JUNE 2013
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Horseback riding, skeet shooting and swamp
buggy tours are among the team-building
activities at Creek Ranch
Creek Ranch Haines City, FloridaGeneral description: Lazing quietly at the end o a winding patho majestic oak trees draped in Spanish moss, this 9,000-square-oot
luxury ranch Bunk House on the shores o Central Floridas Lake
Hatchineha is an unorgettable destination that ofers the perect blend o
luxurious comort, time-stalling quietude and exciting outdoor activities.
Lush plant lie bursts rom every angle o this Everglades hideaway, and
theres ample meeting spacealbeit non-traditionalboth indoors and
out or your ormal and inormal events. Be sure to carve out time or
team activities like horseback riding, bass shing, hiking and the lie-
arming rides on the swamp buggy, airboat and pontoon boatplusmuch more.
Unique features: Every room o the home is impeccably appointed
with an impossibly eclectic array o amily collectibles. The house itsel
sits on the border o a 1,400-acre, working cattle arm whose property
plays host to alligators and a host o aquatic birds. An on-site che whips
up topnotch, down-home Southern cuisine to please any palette.
Best for:Small to mid-size groups, as thereare only seven bedrooms in theMain House
Price range: $$$Nearest Transportation:A 60-minute drive rom Orlando; 90minutes rom Tampa
Website: www.creekranch.net
Phone number: 800-225-4255
MAY/JUNE 2013 CHIEFEXECUTIVE.NET 59
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Perched above Paradise Valley, Sanctuary offers
breathtaking views
Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Scottsdale, AZBest for:All Sizes
Price range: $$$
Nearest Transportation:Less than 25 minutes driving romPhoenix Sky Harbor Intl Airport
Website: www.sanctuaryoncamelback.com
Phone number: 480-948-2100
ceo guide: c orporate retreats
60 CHIEFEXECUTIVE.NET MAY/JUNE 2013
General description: This unique, 53-acre luxury Scottsdale boutique
resort property got put on the map by Hollywood luminaries and tennis
greats back in the 1950s or obvious reasons. Located high up on Arizonas
Camelback Mountain, overlooking the vast desert o Paradise Valley below,
Sanctuary ofers award-winning dining by Iron Che America winner
Beau MacMillan, an Asian-inspired spa, as well as tennis, hiking and
a glorious innity pool. All o these eatures will ocus your team and
render their work-related stress powerless. Flexible indoor and outdoor
meeting spaces are abundanttheres a ballroom, boardrooms, private
mountainside estates and distinctive outdoor venuesand the on-sitebusiness center and ubiquitous wireless Internet access will help you
and your team move seamlessly back and orth between serious work
and serious relaxation, as needed.
Unique feature: How do you spell relax? Figure it out in the
12,000-square-oot Sanctuary Spa, which eatures a Watsu pool, 12 indoor
and outdoor treatment rooms, a movement studio, a 25-yard lap pool and
a tness center.
7/28/2019 Cant Beat the Retreat
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With 7,000 waterfront acres, this resort
encompasses everything from world-class golf to
a recreated 16th-century Mediterranean village
Casa de Campo La Romana, Dominican RepublicGeneral description: I your idea o a complete retreat includes breathtaking,beachside beauty at every turn, 90 holes o world-class golng, spacious, modern
meeting acilities that provide you with seamless unctionality and enough
on-site activities and top-shel nightlie to rival the summer Olympics or un
and excitement, look no urther than this luxury-dening, 7,000-acre resort
destination. Traditional ve-star hotel room accommodations (rooms and suites
with or without balconies) are sure to satisy the soul, and a broad selection o
private villas (rom 3-7 bedrooms, including some spectacular oceanront villas)
can provide you and your team with more than enough room and splendor to
accomplish any task.Unique feature: Guests use gol carts to transport themselves around the
immaculately landscaped resortas well as on the inspiring courses designed by
renowned course designer Pete Dye, including his much-heralded Teeth o the
Dog. (I gol carts are too tame, the nearby jungle canopy ziplines ofer a more
exciting route o transportation.) Dont miss a visit or two to Altos de Chavn,
the astounding 16th century-style Mediterranean village whose carved stone
pathways, decorative ironwork, and a 5,000-seat, Grecian-style amphitheater
were completed in 1982 ater six years by local artisans. I Old World charms
dont impress you, the sparkling 90,000-square-meter marina where the Chavn
River meets the Caribbean will. It serves as home or speedboats, yachts and
sailboats, as well as a slew o restaurants and shops.
Best for:Small teams to entire departmentscan be easily accommodated
Price range: $$$$
Nearest transportation:A fve-minute drive romLa Romana Airport
Website: www.casadecampo.com.do
Phone number: 866-469-1148
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Communicate, Communicate, CommunicateYou may know exactly what you want out o your executive
retreat, but does your team? Sharing your goals and game plan
with all participants beore you set out is crucial to make the most
o the resources and time youll be investing. I you dont talkto everyone upront about what youre trying to achieve at your
retreat, some o them may arrive wondering, Why are we doing
this? or I have nothing to say; how does this help me? says Dr.
Charles J. DiComo, vice president and global head o laboratory
operations or the international lie sciences company Eurons.
For DiComo, that purpose is to bring his team closer and to
create the expectation rom everyone involved that the talking
and listening will continue when the retreat is over. I want
everyone involved to eel like a stakeholder and to know that
[his or her] personal opinions and [lie] outside o work really
matters, he says. Its important to set that expectation becausei I cant get you to interact with everyone else in a casual setting
outside o the oce, how can I expect you to do that in the oce
day-in, day-out under more critical situations? Thats what its
all aboutretreats help leadership teams become more cohesive,
get them to talk rom [the] same script and [to] open new lines
o communication.
Everyone at the retreat should know where the company is
going, and they should know what they want to accomplish, adds
Connelly, who says that having a dened purpose has enabled
her company to get a real payback rom its eforts. Retreats are
where many o our new and best ideas come to light.
Connecting the Why and the WhereChoosing a venue might sound like the un part o retreat
planning. Business hotels, resorts, lodges and intimate inns in
interesting locales aboundas evidenced by the our resorts
proled in the preceding pagesbut nding the right one or
your needs can actually be tricky. Obviously, youll want an easily
accessible location that ofers comortable accommodations,
as well as the amenities youll need to conduct both business
conversations and team-building exercises. Beyond that, the
eld is wide open.
You may want to gather your team in a large resort setting,such as the 7,000-acre Casa de Campo, where your group will
enjoy lush surroundings and
plenty o leisure-time dining
options and activities rom
which to choose (see p. 61). Oryou might choose a more intimate
venue, such as Creek Ranch (see
p. 59), where your team will be
the only guests on the property,
can brainstorm in beautiully
appointed common areas then
break or activities, such as
horseback riding, skeet shooting
and shing.
Sometimes, its helpul to bring people out o their element. Ive
always looked to bring my heads o global or regional businessestogether in a change o venue because when you put people into
a non-pressurized business scenario, its much easier or them
to think outside o the proverbial box, says DiComo.
While Connellys most recent retreat was at Miamis St. Regis
Hotel, she is quick to point out that a posh venue is not strictly
required. People oten joke that they do their best thinking in
the shower, which is proo that you dont need to travel to some
lush tropical island to have a great retreat, she notes. Its really
about going someplace where you have time and the comort to
sit and talk together or one-on-one without interruption or a
ew days. Thats what is important.
Catino, whose hobby is cooking, preers a nice setting whereshe can rent a private home and build camaraderie in the kitchen.
I get an 8-10 bedroom home and, as part o every retreat, I cook
a meal, she explains. I engage them as sous ches, put someone
in charge o the bareveryone takes an active role in preparation
and we prepare and then enjoy the meal together.
The bottom line? Everyone emerges rom the experience
eeling closerwhich is, ater all, what a retreat is all about.
The executives get a better understanding and appreciation o
the people they work with than you can build during the course
o a normal workday, sums up Catino. Thats important when
youre going into battle in business. You need to know whoswith you.
ceo guide: c orporate retreats
Sometimes,Ill plan aretreat at aregional
business hotel,but I preer todo somethingof the beatenpath
62 CHIEFEXECUTIVE NET MAY/JUNE 2013
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