Tune up your EQ

It is with deep regret that the family and friends of Galba Bright wish to inform you of Galba’s untimely passing.

Galba Francis Adeyinka Bright, Human Resource Consultant and Author, died at his office on March 31 of natural causes, leaving his wife Sandra, numerous family members, friends, associates, readers and fans.

Out of respect, the Tune up your EQ website created by Galba will therefore be offline for a short period.

We thank you for your understanding at this time and appreciate the interest you have shown in Galba’s work and ideas.

Should you wish to post comments about the personal impact of Galba’s thoughts and writings, please feel free to click here or go to his blog.

The Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Galba Bright will be held at St. John’s Methodist Church, Montego Bay, Jamaica, at 1.00 pm on Sunday, April 19, followed by interment in Dovecot of St. James Memorial Park, Orange, St. James.

3 Fears That Cripple Retreats

March 31st, 2007 by Galba Bright

7 laws of emotional intelligence fear leadership meetings planning teambuilding

Why Don’t Your Retreats Work?

Despite your best intentions, the overwhelming majority of your retreats are doomed before they start. Top management often heads off in one direction, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the rest of the participants are either asleep or brain dead.

Next time you escape at the end of a retreat, listen out for the gasps of relief that participants exhale. Keep a tally of how often the shell-shocked survivors’ body language screams out

“Thank God that’s over”

When you announce the dreaded meeting you trigger a number of fears amongst participants. Here are the top 3 fears that I’ve observed at close quarters.

Have you ever experienced any of them?

1. Lack of Trust

“This retreat is a mask for top management’s hidden agenda”

“Derek tried to challenge the boss at the last retreat and he’s never been the same since. I’m sure that’s why he was passed over for promotion”

2. Personal Exposure

“I might make a fool of myself. Better keep my head down and let the others do the talking.”

“Who’s in charge here. Why didn’t anyone warn me that I’d have to say what I think?”

3. Fear of the Unknown

“Where’s the agenda? ….. Why aren’t we meeting at the office?”

“Why can’t we stick to the facts and leave the feelings out of it?”

Why Does This Matter?

When you fashion an elegant strategy on your own, you can be certain that it won’t be implemented.

If you want your organisation to improve, you must ensure that your staff are committed and engaged.

Effective strategic planning is about emotions as well as technical skills. If you understand, surface and plan for participants’ hidden fears before the event you’re far more likely to have successful retreat.

Maximise your colleagues’ participation and your retreat will be a success.

NONE OF US IS AS GOOD AS ALL OF US.

In forthcoming posts in this series we’ll look at how my
7 Laws of Emotional Intelligence
can help us to manage our emotions and skyrocket our organisations to success.

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