Business Strategy Workshops

Do you hear that? Offsite season is here. Pumpkin spice in one hand. Team agendas in the other. Around this time of year, leaders pull their teams together for offsites. And every year, I find myself holding my breath, hoping those sessions are built with intention, not just for show. The reality? Most offsites fail to deliver. Not because leaders don't care. Because they’re treated like just another meeting.   Leaders, pay attention.   Your offsite is not a box to check. It’s your launchpad for real change.   A well-designed team offsite can reset your team’s trust, sharpen direction, and accelerate results. But only if you build it to last.   Here are 7 essentials for a high-impact team offsite:   1. Set a clear purpose   Every offsite needs a sharp focus. Decide what you want to achieve, strategy, team health, innovation, or high quality feedback for each other and about the team in the areas of what is working and what is not. Share this purpose with everyone before you start. When people know the goal, they show up ready to contribute.   2. Design for real connection   Move beyond surface-level icebreakers. Create space for honest reflections and conversations. Let people share wins, challenges, and ideas. Trust grows when people feel seen, heard and respected. Real connection is the foundation of strong teams.   3. Mix strategy with team building   Blend business goals with activities that build vulnerability-based trust. Use workshops, group problem-solving, and open feedback sessions. The best teams align on both results and relationships. When strategy and trust grow together, teams move faster.   4. Bring in outside perspective   A skilled facilitator or team effectiveness expert can push your team further. They help you see blind spots, challenge old habits, and keep the group focused. An outside voice brings fresh energy and new ideas. It’s the fastest way to break through old patterns.   5. Make feedback a habit   Use the offsite to practice giving and receiving feedback. Model it at the top. Make feedback safe, specific, and actionable. When feedback is normal, growth becomes automatic.   6. Plan for action   Every insight needs a next step. End each session with clear owners and deadlines. Follow up after the offsite to keep momentum strong. Action turns ideas into results.   7. Build for the long run   A great offsite is just the start. Set up regular check-ins, track progress, and revisit your goals. The real value comes from what happens after you leave the room. Sustained follow-through is what makes change stick.   A high-quality offsite isn't a glorified retreat. It’s a chance to reset. Too many leaders waste the moment. But you don't have to. 👉 If you could fix one thing about most offsites, what would it be? #leadershipdevelopment #teameffectiveness #offsites #executivecoaching P.S. Designing an offsite that sticks isn’t easy. If you want a thought partner to help shape yours, just ask.

Your research findings are useless if they don't drive decisions. After watching countless brilliant insights disappear into the void, I developed 5 practical templates I use to transform research into action: 1. Decision-Driven Journey Map Standard journey maps look nice but often collect dust. My Decision-Driven Journey Map directly connects user pain points to specific product decisions with clear ownership. Key components: - User journey stages with actions - Pain points with severity ratings (1-5) - Required product decisions for each pain - Decision owner assignment - Implementation timeline This structure creates immediate accountability and turns abstract user problems into concrete action items. 2. Stakeholder Belief Audit Workshop Many product decisions happen based on untested assumptions. This workshop template helps you document and systematically test stakeholder beliefs about users. The four-step process: - Document stakeholder beliefs + confidence level - Prioritize which beliefs to test (impact vs. confidence) - Select appropriate testing methods - Create an action plan with owners and timelines When stakeholders participate in this process, they're far more likely to act on the results. 3. Insight-Action Workshop Guide Research without decisions is just expensive trivia. This workshop template provides a structured 90-minute framework to turn insights into product decisions. Workshop flow: - Research recap (15min) - Insight mapping (15min) - Decision matrix (15min) - Action planning (30min) - Wrap-up and commitments (15min) The decision matrix helps prioritize actions based on user value and implementation effort, ensuring resources are allocated effectively. 4. Five-Minute Video Insights Stakeholders rarely read full research reports. These bite-sized video templates drive decisions better than documents by making insights impossible to ignore. Video structure: - 30 sec: Key finding - 3 min: Supporting user clips - 1 min: Implications - 30 sec: Recommended next steps Pro tip: Create a library of these videos organized by product area for easy reference during planning sessions. 5. Progressive Disclosure Testing Protocol Standard usability testing tries to cover too much. This protocol focuses on how users process information over time to reveal deeper UX issues. Testing phases: - First 5-second impression - Initial scanning behavior - First meaningful action - Information discovery pattern - Task completion approach This approach reveals how users actually build mental models of your product, leading to more impactful interface decisions. Stop letting your hard-earned research insights collect dust. I’m dropping the first 3 templates below, & I’d love to hear which decision-making hurdle is currently blocking your research from making an impact! (The data in the templates is just an example, let me know in the comments or message me if you’d like the blank versions).

🤔Ever heard of the “primacy recency effect”? People tend to remember mainly how you start and end a meeting. Therefore, the way you conclude your session imprints on the memory of your participants and should not be a careless afterthought. 💡 Coming back to the 5E #experiencedesign model, the 4th stage is the #EXIT. WHAT NOT TO DO: 👎 End with a Q&A - it puts people in a questioning state of mind and does not help them feel the learning journey has landed 👎 End with logistics - these can be the 2nd to last thing you do but people remember emotional feelings like connection or ending on a fun / high so make the end count! WHAT TO DO INSTEAD: 👍 End with action steps - This can be as simple as asking everyone to type into the chat or share out loud how they will use this #experience and the learning outcomes moving forward 🎯It’s easy for participants to say they want to do EVERYTHING they learned, but that’s not how #behaviorchange happens. People can get overwhelmed trying to take on too much and eventually give up. It’s much more realistic to have participants pinpoint 1 or 2 key focus areas so they can manage to achieve their goals! 👍 End with #connection - leave the meeting on a high and memorable note! The mere act of ending with a connecting activity helps to foster a feeling of belonging in the group, which may very much encourage them to come back for another workshop! 🤝 For today’s #TrainerToolTuesday, here are some ideas for better closings: 💡Invite everyone to self-reflect with music to the question 🤔 What’s an observable behavior / actionable takeaway / intention / challenge / next step (pick your fav!) you want to be sure to put into practice after this event? 💡For small groups: Go around the Zoom circle and ask each person to share out loud their key takeaways or learning outcomes and at least one action they will take to apply their learning 💡For large groups: Encourage them to share in the chat their response to the prompt 💡 Create accountability partners to help them put the learning into practice Make breakout rooms for participants to share their next action steps and even find ways to support each other and/or set specific deadlines by when they will meet and report on their progress. 💡Have everyone pick an image card that describes how they are feeling leaving the training 💡End with a gratitude circle / chatterfall having participants share with one another what they appreciate about each other 💡 Collaborative drawing activity to re-create a collective visual image of the training (great for longer programs) 💡 1 minute Rampage of Appreciation for participants to celebrate themselves for their effort and growth throughout the learning process 💡 End with music, zoom waves (spirit fingers), virtual high fives, and even a dance party. Ask everyone to unmute and say goodbye all together before exiting. 🧐 What are YOUR favorite ways to end a #learningexperience? Let me know below👇

Want more productive workshops? Try stopping them sooner. Workshops often lock people in a room for two or three hours and expect them to do their best thinking on demand. Do we really have to hold people hostage to be productive? Lately, I’ve been using a technique I call "Echo Sessions." Instead of forcing deep work to happen in real time, we kickstart an activity, get clarity, but then stop just as people are getting into it. That pause is intentional. It’s based on the same principle as the Pomodoro technique—when you leave something unfinished while still feeling engaged, you'll find it easy to return to it later and give it space to percolate. Instead of dragging out a long workshop, I schedule an Echo Session later—often in the same day—where everyone brings their independent or small group work back for discussion, iteration, and action. Why does this work? ✅ Encourages Deep Work – People get time to think, research, or create in their own way, rather than being forced into artificial collaboration. ✅ Optimizes Meeting Time – Workshops should be for shared understanding, decision-making, and iteration—not for quiet focus time. ✅ Respects Different Work Styles – Some need time to walk and think. Others need to sketch. Some want to research or tap into AI. Echo Sessions give people time and space to work in the way that’s best for them. ✅ Creates Natural Momentum – Stopping at a high-energy moment makes people want to continue later, giving them space to create, rather than leaving them drained from a marathon session. ✅ Reduces Calendar Lockdowns – Instead of monopolizing hours at a time, work is distributed more effectively and meetings are only used when necessary. Most importantly, this approach treats participants like adults. It gives them flexibility and agency while ensuring that meetings serve a clear, valuable purpose. We don’t need long workshops. We need better workshops. Curious—how do you approach workshop fatigue? Would this work in your team?

Im facilitating a “Building Trust” Workshop for an Executive Team this week. Here’s how I prepare: 📌I am using my proprietary framework, but customizing for the company Leadership development material is either too custom or too generic. This hybrid model provides a foundation that clients can trust with the nuance needed for their specific situation. (And as the company delivering, it allows you to NOT reinvent the wheel + scale) 📌Provide prep work Giving a little bit of work for the team to do prior to the workshop provides more context and gets every participant excited/thinking about the topic at hand. 📌Include activities that keep all learning styles engaged I include exercises that help: - auditory learners - visual learners - kinesthetic learners - strengthen team bonds - make it fun and not like a boring lecture 📌Create lots of space for discussion. The best workshops are those where you can - you guessed it - WORKSHOP through real examples. 📌Have deliverables and practical next steps Too many L&D providers give open ended/one-way content. Instead, we want every team member to come away with one practical thing they can do tomorrow. 📌 Ask, “What was your biggest takeaway” Not only is this good market research for our company, it’s helpful for participants to reflect on WHY XYZ thing was their biggest takeaway. Which one of these is most interesting? —- P. S. In addition to our outplacement, we provide customizable, actionable leadership development training for teams of all sizes. 😉

Ever notice how some leaders seem to have a sixth sense for meeting dynamics while others plow through their agenda oblivious to glazed eyes, side conversations, or everyone needing several "bio breaks" over the course of an hour? Research tells us executives consider 67% of virtual meetings failures, and a staggering 92% of employees admit to multitasking during meetings. After facilitating hundreds of in-person, virtual, and hybrid sessions, I've developed my "6 E's Framework" to transform the abstract concept of "reading the room" into concrete skills anyone can master. (This is exactly what I teach leaders and teams who want to dramatically improve their meeting and presentation effectiveness.) Here's what to look for and what to do: 1. Eye Contact: Notice where people are looking (or not looking). Are they making eye contact with you or staring at their devices? Position yourself strategically, be inclusive with your gaze, and respectfully acknowledge what you observe: "I notice several people checking watches, so I'll pick up the pace." 2. Energy: Feel the vibe - is it friendly, tense, distracted? Conduct quick energy check-ins ("On a scale of 1-10, what's your energy right now?"), pivot to more engaging topics when needed, and don't hesitate to amplify your own energy through voice modulation and expressive gestures. 3. Expectations: Regularly check if you're delivering what people expected. Start with clear objectives, check in throughout ("Am I addressing what you hoped we'd cover?"), and make progress visible by acknowledging completed agenda items. 4. Extraneous Activities: What are people doing besides paying attention? Get curious about side conversations without defensiveness: "I see some of you discussing something - I'd love to address those thoughts." Break up presentations with interactive elements like polls or small group discussions. 5. Explicit Feedback: Listen when someone directly tells you "we're confused" or "this is exactly what we needed." Remember, one vocal participant often represents others' unspoken feelings. Thank people for honest feedback and actively solicit input from quieter participants. 6. Engagement: Monitor who's participating and how. Create varied opportunities for people to engage with you, the content, and each other. Proactively invite (but don't force) participation from those less likely to speak up. I've shared my complete framework in the article in the comments below. In my coaching and workshops with executives and teams worldwide, I've seen these skills transform even the most dysfunctional meeting cultures -- and I'd be thrilled to help your company's speakers and meeting leaders, too. What meeting dynamics challenge do you find most difficult to navigate? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments! #presentationskills #virualmeetings #engagement

Strategy isn’t a slide. It’s a fight worth having. I’ve been quiet here for a day because I just came out of two intense, energizing sessions with our extended strategy team. And I’m still fired up. 💥 We pushed each other hard. We challenged assumptions. We laughed a lot. And we left with crystal-clear alignment and a shared determination to think bigger, move faster, and win as one team. Our focus: ✅ Think Big, Go Fast Not in months and quarters. In days and weeks. ✅ Win Every Key Moment in the Customer Journey Especially the ones that define value and long-term loyalty. ✅ Win as One Team Not your team, not my team. Our team. Rooted in shared goals, not personal preferences. For some reason, I usually get to help moderate these sessions. That’s no small task with 25 to 30 strong leaders in the room from every department. But it gives me a front-row seat into how we build alignment that lasts. Here’s what works for us and might work for you: 1️⃣ Be clear up front Why are we meeting? What are the most important objectives? And how exactly are we going to win together? Set the tone early. Remove ambiguity. Drive purpose. 2️⃣ Bring the voice of the customer into the room 🎤 The most substantial alignment starts with empathy and clarity around what matters most to our customers. When we anchor the conversation in value needed and delivered, priorities become clearer and conflict becomes productive. Customer insights create unity. 3️⃣ Make cross-functional ownership real 🤝 Everyone says “we’re one team.” But real alignment means we walk out with shared KPIs, not siloed tasks. Product, Sales, CS, Ops, we all succeed only when we move together. 💬 So here's my call to action for you today: If you’re leading in CS, CX, Product, or Revenue, and you’re halfway through Q3, ask yourself: Are you chasing alignment? Or are you building it through purpose, participation, and shared accountability? The next level doesn’t arrive by accident. We create it. Together. #CreateTheFuture #LeadershipInAction #CustomerSuccess #StrategyExecution #CrossFunctionalAlignment #OneTeamOneMission #Q3Momentum

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲'𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳 Virtual facilitation can be challenging. You're staring at a sea of black boxes, speaking into what feels like a void. How do you know if people feel safe to learn when you can't read their body language or make eye contact? Here's the reality: Psychological safety—the belief that you can make mistakes, ask questions, and share opinions without facing rejection—is just as crucial in virtual spaces. Maybe more so. Some learners actually feel SAFER virtually:  ✅ They can keep cameras off if they want  ✅ Less performance anxiety  ✅ Reduced noise and distractions  ✅ More processing time for introverts But others feel MORE vulnerable:  ❌ Can't gauge facilitator's reaction  ❌ Breakout rooms with no oversight  ❌ Tech failures create embarrassment  ❌ Harder to read group dynamics So, how do you create safety in the virtual void? 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: • Give explicit instructions for breakouts • Explain what to do if tech fails • Let people know they can message you privately 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: • Use the chat strategically—it gives introverts a voice • Check in frequently: "How are we doing? Use reactions to show me." • Address the elephant: "I know it's weird talking to black boxes..." • Model vulnerability: "My internet might cut out—if it does, just keep going!" 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿: Gather feedback specifically about safety. Ask: "Do you feel listened to? Do you feel safe to take risks here?" Remember: You can't guarantee safety for everyone, but you can create "safe-ish" spaces where most people can learn. 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀—𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿! 👇 P.S. If you want to grow as a PD facilitator, here’s my free Three Mistakes You’re Making with Your PD… and What to Do Instead tool: h͟t͟t͟p͟s͟:͟/͟/͟b͟r͟i͟g͟h͟t͟m͟o͟r͟n͟i͟n͟g͟t͟e͟a͟m͟.͟a͟c͟t͟i͟v͟e͟h͟o͟s͟t͟e͟d͟.͟c͟o͟m͟/͟f͟/͟2͟3͟6͟ #VirtualPD #ProfessionalDevelopment #PsychologicalSafety #OnlineLearning

Your management team says they’re aligned. Think again. You launch a change initiative. But instead of driving it forward, your managers are clashing. Suddenly, valuable energy is consumed. The organization goes in different directions. And failure becomes almost certain. Why does this happen? Because the change process was launched before securing full buy-in and alignment from the management team. Here’s the reality: 🔴 If managers aren’t aligned, nothing will change. So, what do you do? 🔵 Go back to step one of the change process: Fine-tune the Change Strategy Organize a workshop with the management team to: ➨ Clarify the vision, objectives, and strategy ➨ Learn how to communicate the strategy ➨ Build commitment to the change effort I once ran a workshop with a top team to create their change strategy. I budgeted six hours to align on the change objectives. The VP told me, “We’re already aligned, a 15-minute review will be enough.” Six hours later, they reached real alignment. Getting alignment is a long and challenging process. The most common cause of misalignment: top leaders overestimate alignment of their team. But here’s a critical point: this workshop shouldn’t be led by the top leader. Otherwise, you risk creating a false sense of agreement, with managers nodding in the room while holding back their real concerns. And you’ll end up back where you began back to where you were before the workshop. False alignment is the silent killer of change initiatives. To succeed, every disagreement needs to surface and be debated until genuine agreement is reached. This is best done with an external expert. I have seen management teams argue over a single word for two hours. That is what real alignment looks like. Plan to take between six hours and a long day to get there. Because only when managers are fully aligned and committed can the transformation succeed. Any other strategy will fail. How much time did you spend creating your change strategy? _____________   🔔 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 Jacques Fischer for strategies to  ↳ Manage change  ↳ Evolve the culture  ↳ Improve leadership  ↳ Develop high-performance organizations 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝑺𝒖𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 #humanresources #culturechange #changemanagement

The secret to building resilient, long-lasting teams? Establishing safe spaces. A safe space doesn’t just mean an absence of judgment — it means a work space that lets people be their authentic self, share ideas and express concerns freely. But what does psychological safety at work actually look like in practice? And why does it matter? 1️⃣Setting the Intention Start with the simplest, most impactful way: say it aloud. Obvious? Yes, but explicitly saying it tells your team that they are in a space where their voice matters, where they can speak their mind. When your team feels safe, they’re more likely to contribute to solutions that are creative & innovative. 2️⃣Leaders Go First Vulnerability builds trust. Admit when you make mistakes. Share your struggles. By showing that you’re fallible, you give others the permission to do the same. This ensures open communication without the fear of being judged. 3️⃣What Went Wrong >> Not Who Did It Mistakes happen. More so in high pressure, high stakes work spaces. But by focussing on solving the problem, on identifying gaps & improving processes instead of shaming people, you ensure that people come to you with issues, before those issues become larger problems. 4️⃣Rip the Band-Aid  While celebrating wins is important, creating a safe space also means encouraging your team to surface bad news quickly, without fearing repercussions. Teams that tackle bad news head-on & early, become more agile and are better equipped at solving complex problems. 5️⃣Let People Course Correct If someone on your team makes a mistake, give them the opportunity to make it right. This doesn’t just build trust, it builds their confidence. When your team members feel that they can be trusted to fix their mistakes, they feel valued & perform better in the long-term. Safe spaces aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re critical for teams looking to excel under high-pressure. #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceCulture