Leave your luggage at the door
Successful leaders understand team dynamics

by Phil Saunders

Panel hears team presentations Tim Willis (foreground) is the Royal B.C. Museum's Director of Exhibits and Visitor Experience. Joining him on the RRU leadership retreat review panel are (left to right) Chief Executive Officer Pauline Rafferty; Curatorial Services Director Grant Hughes; and Development Director Diane Lloyd.

Imagine getting out of your workplace for a week and teaming up with a group of people you’ve never met before to figure out practical, real-world solutions to a complex real-world organizational problem.

That’s what hundreds of professionals from private and public sector organizations do when they take part in a Developing Leadership Impact Executive Retreat at Royal Roads University.

The intense learning events, delivered by RRU’s Centre for Applied Leadership and Management take place on the idyllic and picturesque grounds of Hatley Park. But they are far from a holiday.

A key component of these retreats is the Leadership Challenge™ which provides everyone with an opportunity to develop their competencies and to explore the dynamics of working in teams. Equally important, the Leadership Challenge™ results in meaningful and constructive recommendations for the organization chosen as the focus of a case study – as well as for participants’ own organizations.

“It’s all about helping people understand leadership,” says facilitator Cathy Mackenzie, “Understanding team dynamics is a crucial part of that so the challenge is really geared to getting people to experience this at the same time as they learn about it.”

Individuals are asked to draw upon their own personal workplace experiences as well as insights revealed as they participate in the six-day retreat.

“My first thought was – oh no, not another one of these,” says Kelly Sendall, who a manager of Natural History at the Royal B.C. Museum participated as a learner in an executive retreat facilitated by RRU in November. “But what made the difference in this session was the facilitation. The instructors really knew how to get the most out of the participants – in ways I’d never really experienced before.”

Individuals draw upon own experiences too  Retreat participant Nancy Newland (right) shares results of her team's collaborative work with RBCM panel members.

The case study that teams had to grapple with was especially helpful for Sendall. The challenge was to figure out how the Royal B.C. Museum might establish and maintain a better presence – using its outreach programs – throughout the province. The recommendations were to be timely since RBCM was getting ready to launch a province-wide campaign to celebrate the 150th anniversary of British Columbia in the new year. That campaign was launched earlier this month and some of those recommendations are part of the engagement strategy.

“The most significant thing was how everyone left their luggage at the door and came forward with progressive contributions,” says Sendall, “The buy-in was really strong and everyone was looking ahead while doing personal self-reflection. It was pretty remarkable.”

A Developing Leadership Impact Executive Retreat always concludes with a full morning of presentations when each team goes over the results of their collaborative work for a panel of representatives from the volunteering organization.

Everyone is asked, as well, to reflect on the team dynamics that emerged. What techniques did they use to overcome obstacles? What opportunities came along that improved their leadership skills?

“It’s important that participants be constructive, so as soon as there are any indications of people getting tense, it is addressed” says Sendall. “What comes out of this is a new sense of your potential and awareness about the kind of leader you are or could be.”

Developing Leadership Impact Executive Retreats are aimed at managers and those who aspire to take on more significant leadership roles within their organizations. Ideal candidates are those seeking to develop and refine their leadership skills and those who want to meet the needs of a work environment where expectations are becoming higher and demands for accountability are growing.

Find out more about Developing Leadership Impact Executive Retreats by contacting the Centre for Applied Leadership and Management at 1-877-778-5323 or e-mailing
execleadership@royalroads.ca.