Rethinking the Team Away Day

I have been involved in hundreds of team away days. They are often enjoyable. People reconnect. There is space to talk.

But what really changes the following week?

What the Evidence Suggests:

Evidence

• Only around 10–20% of learning transfers back into work(Baldwin & Ford, 1988; Salas et al., 2012)

• One-off interventions rarely shift behaviour without reinforcement

Interpretation

• A single day can sometimes create more frustration than progress

• Insight without continuation tends to fade quickly

At To Focus we adopt a more intentional approach

We begin before the day itself.

• Working with the leader

• Understanding the team

• Designing the experience together

This is not an event. It is an investment.

We pay close attention to something often overlooked:

the energy of the team.

Energy is the core variable. Not time. Not output. Not even outcomes. Energy!

Evidence

• Human performance research shows energy management is more predictive of sustainable performance than time management (Loehr & Schwartz, 2003)

What we look for:

• Where energy is created

• Where it is depleted

• How it moves between people

Our facilitators observe this directly:

• How the team interacts

• The tone of conversations

• Levels of engagement and trust

The Importance of place

Where the day happens matters.

Not as a backdrop, but as part of the learning.

We work in natural environments because they improve attention, reduce stress, and support reflection (Kaplan, 1995; Berman et al., 2008)

Interpretation

• The environment shapes the quality of thinking

• It slows people down enough to notice what is really happening

Place becomes part of the process:

• The ground underfoot

• The conditions we are working in

• The shared physical experience

A Simple, Memorable Framework

We use a natural model based on nutrients.

For anything to grow, it needs:

• Light

• Water

• Air

• Healthy soil

We translate this into organisational life.

This becomes a shared language the team can carry forward.

Moving from extraction to growth

Many organisations are stuck in patterns of:

• Long hours

• Fatigue

• Constant change often for change sake

• Disconnection from purpose

You cannot think your way out of this.

You have to change the conditions.

The Practice

We often include something physical.

Planting a tree, for example.

Not as a metaphor, but as a shared act.

• understanding the soil

• placing something in it

• recognising that growth takes time

• protecting what is fragile at the start

Return each season, and over time, something accumulates.

Working in Seasons

Rather than one-off days, we work in cycles

• Spring: new growth

• Summer: action and energy

• Autumn: what worked, what did not

• Winter: reflection and direction

Learning strengthens when spaced and revisited over time(Cepeda et al., 2006)

What Happens After the Day

This is where most away days fail.

We provide:

• Written feedback to the team and leadership

• Clear observations on:

• Energy

• Engagement

• Quality of conversation

Then we translate this into simple, actionable next steps.

And we revisit these at the next session.

The Difference

Typical approach:• a day out• some insight• little change

Our approach:

• designed with intent

• grounded in real conditions

• continued over time

If this resonates, if you are building something that matters, and want your team aligned behind it, this work is designed for that.

We are currently scheduling sessions for:

• late spring

• early autumn

Contact Anna here.

Final Thought

Growth is not created in a single day.

It comes from the conditions you create, the energy you build, and whether you return to tend what you started.

Warm regards,

Mark