5. Dump drama. Melodrama. It sells tabloids, and gets people to watch "Hard Copy" on TV, but it's something you don't need in your company. It saps valuable creative energy. If you've been using "Crisis Management" as your modus operandi, get out of office, read a few good books, (like Steven Covey's), benchmark with "new thinkers", and learn a new style. Crisis management is passe, wasteful and destructive.

6. Learn, teach and reward "Time-out" stress management techniques. A recent poll says that 90% of all Americans live in a state of chronic stress. YIKES!!!! No wonder customers get treated so poorly. Make sure people understand role they play in controlling their own stress. We don't have control over circumstances; we do have control of how we perceive them. Take a deep breath, count to ten, walk away (physically or mentally) when you have to and call a "Time-out." Short circuit stress on way in. Learn good stress management skills and teach them. Reinforce them. "Bob, I noticed how well you reacted with that angry customer yesterday, I was glad to see you take a deep breath and not react defensively - good job - you saved a valuable customer, and your own health as well. I'm proud to have you on team."

7. Encourage people to live in "now." Dwell on past only long enough to figure out what you want to learn from it, and then move on. Stop talking about "the good old days." What is important is what is going on right now. Give your fullest attention to exactly what you are doing now. Do it well, do it right and enjoy it. Customers can always tell if you are giving them your undivided attention, and they really appreciate it.

8. Start a list called "The 10 Best Things about Working Here." Let people add to it and watch it grow. It's fun, positive and a great way to focus people on what's right with your business. After list is finished start one called "Ten More.." Remember you get more of what you focus on.

9. Get psyched! Recognize that almost 80% of what average person takes in is negative. You've got a job to do. Create a positive sanctuary in your workplace. Develop a corporate library that includes all kinds of motivational literature, audio and videotapes. Play audiotapes and videotapes in lunchrooms, keep inspirational books around, start discussion groups. Create positive energy, people inside and outside company will feel it and want to come back for more.

10. Don't worry, be happy. Playing upbeat music helps lift your spirits. Challenge staff to develop "Happiest" of happy music tapes, a collection of tunes that will keep people smiling and whistling while they work. (They make great coming to and going home from tapes too.)

11. Smile. When you activate smiling muscles in your face, you activate "happy" brain chemicals that help you feel good. You can't be depressed when you are smiling, and smiles are contagious. So, smile.

As a manager, it's your responsibility to help to create an experience for your customer that has word "value" all over it. Customers respond better to a company that provides them with a quality product at a fair price served up by positive, upbeat, can-do people. Aw come on, who wants to do business with a grump?

5.Showcase your disciplines of leadership. In order to fully benefit from synergy that can be created when everyone is working on same game plan, players must know talents available to team and how to use them for maximum results. The retreat provides an opportunity to highlight individuals and share their contributions in a way that promotes solidarity. 6.Demonstrate collaborative management. The master-mind experience can be very powerful. The process of collaboration transcends concept of “two heads are better than one”. When an organization’s leadership begins to employ ideas of people outside of traditional decision-making track, innovation becomes commonplace.

7.Grow managers into leaders. An organization’s managers can get bogged down in daily activities and inhibit growth of organization. When managers are challenged to become leaders, there is a change in their thought process. It is no longer enough to just get job done. The leader considers consequential implications of decisions made focusing on what is best for all stakeholders.

8.Recognize individual contributions. Just receiving an invitation to participate in organization’s retreat is recognition of an individual’s contribution to past successes. Having their work recognized is cited time and again as major factor related to satisfaction with a person’s work. When planning retreat, it is important to consider recognition factor in venue selection.

9.Inspire independent thinking. An organization is only as good as people it employs to deliver its goods and services. Those people must be creative problem-solvers while constantly keeping vision and goals in focus. In an environment of trust and openness independent thinking is worth risk. During retreat, participants increase their knowledge and, consequently, power to think. 10.Realize full potential of participants. In every organization there are untapped resources. Those resources exist in human potential more than any other area. There is an invisible “force”, if you will, that is created by bringing participants together in retreat experience. Everyone involved wants to be their best and give their all. There are resources that are made available which would otherwise be beyond reach.

YES…a carefully crafted retreat can accomplish all of above and more. So, what does it take to have a successful retreat?

From outset you need to view retreat as an investment in your business. At a minimum, there will be a significant contribution of time in planning and in taking your leadership out of operations on day of retreat. You might decide that it makes sense to hire a professional facilitator or to use a facility that is well-suited to a retreat experience.

To ensure that you reap all rewards possible from retreat, there are many things to consider. From invitation list to venue and everything in between, success of retreat will be a direct reflection of what went into its planning.

What are you waiting for? Start planning your retreat TODAY!