Cutting Back, Preparing, and Looking Ahead

We’ve just returned from our summer holiday, this time staying in Berlin. We were living in the old former East, right by a river, so clean we could drink from it, and so clear we could swim in it. An unusual experience, especially in a city.

It was there that a line from the playwright Bertolt Brecht came back to me:

“Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.”

The truth of that becomes sharper on return, when the holiday ends, the inbox fills, and the season shifts. Driving to my office this week, leaves already falling, I noticed how the trees let go earlier than they used to. And yet, this letting go is essential: leaves must fall for the tree to endure winter.

We too face a time of cutting back, as well as harvesting. Choosing what to release so we can prepare for the season ahead.

Thinking about 2026, or the next season

If you have just returned from holiday, this may be the moment you begin to think:

“We need to take the team away. We need to reset. We need to think about next year.”

This is exactly the purpose of our seasonal team away days. They are not quick fixes or stand-alone workshops, but part of a rhythm of development: autumn into winter, winter into spring, spring into summer. Each season invites different conversations, different energies.

And this work is not about engagement numbers in the HR sense. It is about engagement in a deeper sense: creating space for true conversations, the kind that AI cannot replicate, and never will.

Why space and place matter

That is why we are careful about where we work. We choose places where regeneration is visible in the landscape itself. As part of the day, we often take a short tour to witness regeneration, in farming, forestry, or conservation, and then connect this directly to the context of the team.

For leaders, this offers something tangible to take back: thoughtful material to share internally, or even on LinkedIn, as a way of influencing colleagues and other leaders in the wider system. It is not just about what happens in the room; it is about the ripple effects afterwards.

Preparing for change we cannot predict

The age we are living through is one of profound change. Technology is reshaping work in ways no one can fully predict.

That may be unsettling, but it also brings clarity. Because the question for teams and leaders becomes:

“What are the one or two things we can do together that cannot be outsourced?”

The answer is simple and profound:

• Holding deep conversations with colleagues.

• Building true human connection.

• Giving attention to meaning and purpose, in ourselves, in our teams, and in the systems we work within.

This requires space, preparation, and the willingness to step into a natural rhythm, not just the rhythm of reporting cycles or financial years.

The invitation, your next step

As the leaves fall, we are invited to choose what to let go of, and what to carry into the season ahead.

If you are beginning to think about your team away day for winter, spring, or even 2026, I would encourage you to plan now. The preparation is as important as the day itself, perhaps more so. Done well, it ensures the day is not an island, but the beginning of a rhythm that will carry your team forward.

To help you start, we are offering a half-hour session where we will guide you through our Dig Deep questionnaire. This is a chance to reflect on your own regenerative process for the coming seasons, surfacing your sources of energy, clarifying goals, and preparing the ground for your team’s work.

Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. The question is: how will you and your team prepare for the change?

Warm regards,

Mark