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How Leadership Retreats Can Change Your Perspective

Is your school or company looking to schedule a leadership retreat? A lot of people don’t want to attend their company’s leadership retreats, but the feeling hardly ever lasts through even the first day of the retreat. Why? Leadership retreats exist to help people change and focus their perspective.

Whether you’re a new organizational board or team working in a new company, a group of leaders for a club or organization, or a group of people who have never met before – you’ll come to value your time at your leadership retreat by the end of your time here at Pali Retreat.

Now, we can’t promise that the leadership retreat will change your life, or even that it will change your perspective. How much it affects you is up to you and you alone. Have you heard the saying “you get out what you put in?” It’s the same idea.

A few days in the San Bernandino mountains with your co-workers could change your life forever.

So, What is the Purpose of Leadership Retreats?

There’s no one answer to this question. Each group has a different reason for planning a retreat. Some people are having trouble communicating or acting as leaders within the group and are seeking some new skills that can act as fixes or at least mediation to the problem.

Other people come on retreats as one of the first things they ever do together, so they start out working as a group on the right foot. And others, still, come to get to know each other better and build trust – and allow the leadership skills they learn there to be the icing on the cake.

Whether your reason for visiting us is problem-based, preventative, or explorative, we know you’ll get what you’re looking for out of our program!

Leadership Retreats Demonstrate How We’re All Connected

There’s a lot of “othering” in the world right now. We all know how different we are, especially in this political climate. And the idea that people are different, makes us fearful. That’s nothing to be ashamed of – it’s leftover from our primal days, back when humans lived in packs.

We were scared of things/people that we’re different because we didn’t know they were safe. And while most of the “threat” of others has gone away with time, we all have a little fear left over.

It’s our job, both individually and collectively, to work through that fear and get rid of it. The best way we can do that, at least that we’ve found, is by focusing on how much we have in common.

When we do that, the vast amounts of experiences and emotions we have in common makes our differences feel small and insignificant. A great way to do this is through cross-the-line activity. During this, a leader from your says the words “cross the line” or “walk to the other side of the room if”, then lists a common human experience. Not only does this activity help people come to terms with events in their own lives, but it shows them how many other people, including the people they work with, are working through the same things.

You’ll be amazed at the number of people that “cross the line” each time. And you may just come out of the experience with a new perspective about how even though we don’t seem alike, on the surface, we’re all feeling and thinking the same things.

a group meeting on a mountain deck

Improve Internal Team Communication With Leadership Retreats

One of the most helpful perspective shifts is from learned communication methods (what we were taught as kids) to strategic communication methods.

You weren’t born knowing how to communicate your words and emotions, at least, not in the way that you express them in your group/workplace today. You were shown ways to express your thoughts, feelings, and needs by whoever raised you.

And the effectiveness with which they taught you, was ruled by whoever taught them, and who taught them, and on and on it goes. That means that you weren’t necessarily given the best communication skills–and that’s okay!

It’s never too late to learn some new communication strategies. The ones that we teach in our Communication and Leadership Training: Eliminate Miscommunication & Understand People’s Buttons has the power to not only change how you communicate with your group/at work, but also how you communicate with people at home.

If you want to make this workshop part of your retreat, let your planner know. Our amazing team-building trainer, Alan, will love to help.

Retreats Helps Refresh Your Perspective

Taking a step back from the daily tasks and routine that is in place can make a world of difference. With a dedicated time and space to really listen to one another and learn new ways to look at situations–you gain an outlook on all the different leadership styles at play within your group.

Book Your Leadership Retreat in San Bernardino with Pali!

We can’t possibly list all the valuable perspective shifts you’ll have during your time at Pali Retreats! Most people walk away with not only the lessons above, but also a better understanding of what leadership means, how to best serve in their role on a team, and what collaboration actually means. 

And yes – you can really fit that all in two (or more) days! Let our experienced leadership retreat planners make the perfect getaway for you and your team.

Don’t see something you want? Just ask! We’re here to work with you.