Manager Retreat

The Event: A five-person manager team within a large-scale energy sector business was in the middle of a transition — one manager was stepping into a role covering for a colleague on maternity leave, while another had recently returned from her own leave. With these transitions underway, the client saw an opportunity: get the new manager fully onboarded while strengthening trust and cross-functional support across the whole team. KindCo was brought on to build the retreat agenda and facilitate the day, helping the group turn a moment of change into a chance to align as one team.

The Format: KindCo recommended guests arrive one day prior to the retreat, giving the group informal time to connect and settle into a more relaxed mindset prior to  the full-day session.

KindCo worked with the client to build an agenda for the full day. To strengthen relationships with each other and their teams, the day included activities that helped team members understand one another's working styles and surface opportunities to support each other's initiatives. It also featured KindCo's signature Trust Workshop, exploring Charles Feltman's framework for trust.

We capped off the day with a visit to a local lake followed by a team dinner, giving the day's momentum an unstructured close that let genuine connection take over.

The following morning, before heading back to the city, the team shared a final group meal and reflected together on the previous day's learnings.

The retreat was hosted in Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast, giving the group a restorative setting well outside their usual day-to-day. Partway through the session, a small herd of deer wandered right up alongside the group — the kind of unscripted moment that made the day one the team won't forget.

Post-retreat, the group walked away with personalized working style profiles, an action plan from the strategic planning session, trust worksheets, and actionable emails to help solidify the learnings from the trust framework.