Off-Site Can Be Off-Base

Well-intentioned strategic activities are always prioritized less than daily routine activities.

Carving our time to focus on strategic activities is always difficult.  Even the best-intentioned individuals can easily get sidetracked, feeling that it is necessary to address crisis and tactical issues first.  Holding off-site meetings to slow or eliminate the near-constant flow of interruptions may seem effective but often fail.  The failure is primarily due to what does not happen after the off-site meeting.  People simply revert to their daily routines.  The solution is to make strategic follow-up activities part of the daily or at least weekly routines.