A Time of Retreat and Renewal
Stepping back to move forward
When we feel worn out by the daily grind, we often say “I need a vacation.” But what we most need may not be a vacation, but a retreat: not to stop working, but to do a different kind of work.
“Retreat” literally means “pull back.” In the military sense of the word, it means to withdraw from battle: not to flee, but to regroup, reassess, and rally. After an effective tactical retreat, a fighting force can return to the fray with renewed coordination, perspective, and vigor.
Similarly, to take a work retreat is to step back from the daily fray and daily grind: to take a break from the usual work routine (the day-to-day messages, meetings, and deliverables) in order to regroup, reassess, and rally. And since we are strongly reminded of our work routines by our usual work environments, ideally a retreat involves a change of location. After an effective work retreat, an individual or a team can resume their regular work with better direction, fresh perspectives, and renewed spirits.
I am just now finishing up a nice long period of retreat. In mid-December, my wife, two daughters, and I flew to Southern California to stay at my sister’s house and see family. During my first week there, it was remote work as usual. But then between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I was able to take a break from meetings and messages, since several of the colleagues I work with the most were on vacation. This gave me more time for uninterrupted, focused “deep work.” During this period, I wrote an in-depth, big-picture memo making the case that at the Foundation for Economic Education, our customer journey should be conceptualized as a learning journey and a hero’s journey. I also drew strategic implications and illustrated my case with references to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
Then on New Year’s Eve, I closed out 2023 by writing and publishing my annual "My Year in Writing” roundup post. That inspired me to get back to daily writing and publishing, specifically about systematically reforming my habits. Since then, with this essay, I’ve now clicked publish thirteen days in a row. And my new writing habit has been a cornerstone for reconstructing my other habits with the aim of making 2024 a year of permanent gains and personal transformation.
Then, after three weeks of working, writing, reflecting, and family time in California (including a fun family trip to Universal Studios), I flew back to Atlanta to lead my department’s retreat. During the first half of this week, my team spent some great quality time together. We had fun conversations and delicious meals. We spent time in the studio writing, workshopping and recording video shorts. We sang karaoke. And in a hotel conference room we had creative brainstorming, discussion, and planning sessions, informed by the conceptual framework my customer journey memo provided.
Then, in the second half of the week, we were joined by most of the rest of our colleagues for the company-wide retreat. With the larger group, we had more camaraderie-building and reflective discussions about our priorities and practices. I had several good conversations I’ve been meaning to have with colleagues in other departments. Highlights included inspiring remarks by our interim president and long-time leader Larry Reed. In his opening talk, Larry admiringly quoted a line from my customer journey, which warmed my heart. Throughout the retreat, several colleagues gave appreciative shoutouts to me, my work, and my team, which really bolstered my spirits.
The first day of the company retreat happened to coincide with my birthday. At the bowling alley where we all were that night, my team surprised me by leading the whole organization in singing happy birthday and presenting me a cake and signed birthday cards. It was a really special moment that I managed to capture in a photograph.
I even bowled one of my best games ever that night! Then, back at the hotel I got to hug my wife and daughters who had just flown in from California and stopped by on their way home.
The second day was filled with more good refocusing discussions to help chart the organization’s course for the coming year and the coming tenure of a new president. And for our last outing, we all went to Topgolf where I learned to swing a golf club for the first time.
So, over the past few weeks, I had a personal/family retreat, then a team retreat, then a company retreat. Along with my loved ones and colleagues, I stepped back from the daily grind to regroup, reflect, refocus, and recharge. And now I’m ready to get back to home, office, and my day-to-day routines with refreshed perspectives, renewed momentum, and rallied spirits.
My takeaway from all this is that, while it’s healthy to have regular vacations, it’s crucial to have regular retreats.