The Transformational Leadership Retreat:
Adding Purpose to Your Catalyst Ranch Meeting
Businesses are emerging from the past year and needing guidance in how to change their work culture for today; that’s where a Transformational Leadership Retreat comes in.
In the past we’ve hosted our friend, executive coach Jackie Sloane, for these retreats as a public workshop. And now that the need to elevate leadership retreats to transformational is at an all-time high, we’re proud to now offer various elements of the program as either an addition to your meeting or as an all-inclusive one-day package called the Transformational Leadership Retreat Meeting Bundle.
This enhancement to your meeting is fully customizable with a variety of modules. Add one two-hour segment to your meeting, a half-day session, or program a full day! You can tailor the Transformational Leadership Retreat to what serves your goals.
We sat down with Jackie—who has just launched a second series of her Resilience Rodeo this month as well—and learned what happens in her program and why it’s so vital for leadership teams.
CR: Jackie, what exactly is a Transformational Leadership Retreat?
JS: A Transformational Leadership Retreat is a strategic tool for launching change, facilitating deep inquiry, shifting the mindsets of people about what’s possible together, or related outcomes.
If you want to see people working at a higher level of commitment, collaboration, enthusiasm, courage and creativity, and you’d like to see sustainable behavior change, this might be for you.
We use the focal point of an event to create a process that supports the learning and formation of the practices and structures to achieve outcomes, including sustainable behavior change. And, we have fun doing it!
And you’ve been doing this transformative work for companies since before the game changers of 2020. How long has it been?
Eight years. We created our first Transformational Leadership Retreat in mid-2013 at the request of a client who told us the retreat “really, really, really” needed to make a difference in her organization. It did. They saw transformational outcomes within weeks that continued to accelerate. Substantial progress was made immediately on a long-term goal as well. We have even taught others how to create these retreats, using this proprietary process, at Catalyst Ranch!
Why is this programming more important now as compared to a year ago?
Many things have changed, and, often, we see organizational inertia that can perpetuate outdated thinking or focus, unnecessary tasks, practices that then thwart progress or taking advantage of opportunity. Some organizations may not have ensured that their people have the necessary leadership development skills to address nonproductive behaviors, or innovate.
You said a Transformational Retreat can be used to shepherd specific goals, or to tackle specific challenges. What are the unique challenges that you see clients and other businesses struggling with currently?
I see a couple of different things! – A level of disorientation among people. The practices and rituals that grounded them have been disrupted. There’s a sense of almost an identity crisis. While there may be a new appreciation of what’s important, there may not be enough support to institutionalize well-being and forward progress. And, on the flip side, I am seeing people encountering stunning, life-changing opportunity. People asking for what they want and getting what they desired and more.
What value can people expect from the session?
Dramatic progress on an important goal. Deep learning and exploration, as well as collaboration in creating the processes and practices that will support a higher level of initiative and productivity for sustainable success. People are often surprised at how effective learning and change can be when creatively presented, engaging and enjoyable.
You mentioned your very first Retreat client saw useful changes within her company within weeks! What are some of the long-term positive changes that clients have reported back to you with?
One client had an organizational emergency within a month of the retreat. Everyone stepped up to creatively address it to replace a key marketing tool within 6 weeks – digital and 15,000 printed pieces, an unheard of timeframe, for a process that normally took a year, due to bureaucratic approvals. The team used the urgency of the situation to make significant progress on how the department was seen in the organization. Elevating the reputation of the organization was a long-term goal that was immediately advanced with this huge success. They continued to achieve significant successes.
Learn more about the Transformational Leadership Retreat here.
See all available Meeting Bundles for your sessions at Catalyst Ranch.
