Someone in the Human Resources department books a fancy hotel in a plush resort, hires a couple of ‘safe’ and frankly uninspiring speakers, sets up a whiteboard and then it’s time for brainstorming (did we mention the teambuilding activities and the social exercises?).
After a few months, the disappointment of the trip begins to fade and a nagging feeling begins to surface. You ask yourself: ‘Did those three days actually lead to any results?’ ‘How can it be that a whole room filled with intelligent people failed to produce one single clever idea?’ And, while we are on the subject, ‘Why do we have those meetings at all?’
It doesn’t need to be like this. Lots of companies inflict the same type of ‘event’ on their employees that all seem the same. Just ask yourself how many of those non-descript bags with some company logo do you have in your cupboard. Luckily there are people who do their best to find a space that is both different and exciting; a place that gives you energy and that your colleagues will remember. These are meeting places that produce results. The challenge is in actually finding one of these places.
You make sure that you take all the usual things into consideration, such as the logistics, your colleagues’ reaction to the atmosphere of the place and you try to put as much effort into creating mental awareness as to choosing the right type of food.
