And this has made a shift in us, has it not? We now for a short time before autumn kicks in long to stay with the feelings we’ve had during summer and most important, the break made us decide to change a few things. (Same thing every autumn;)) I think almost all av you reading this have had that experience. And it’s not strange at all. Research on nature’s effect on us shows that when exposed to nature, we tend to make healthier, more sustainable decisions and we are more likely to take on a long-term perspective. After a lazy summer vacation perceived as having had a lower tempo and lower stress levels.
So it would be stupid not to use these facts when we sit down in our strategy meetings for q4 where we are forced to crush our budgets, and our one on ones setting way too ambitious individual targets for the coming planning period!
And I do the same, but I do it different! I do activities like these outdoors. I leave the conference rooms for others that still fancy stress and anxiety and running as fast as possible to the next low hanging fruits, no matter if that is in line with their vision or beliefs. Still difficult to see how we could add this to your business? Here are two examples coming up just the next month:
Next week, small design and marketing agency Bridget is with me at the end of a forestry road 40 minutes from their office, where an old Swedish homestead lies just next to a lake. We will do a workshop on team collaboration, and their target that day is to establish a clear view on what they need to do to become an even more efficient team and enjoy their jobs. We will make this measurable and follow up in the end of the year.
Mid-September, all employees at Monitor Larm & Bevakning and I go visit another forest, just 30 minutes from central Gothenburg to walk by the lakes there, talking and discussing their supporting processes and internal communication. The aim is that all employees set an individual development target to improve internal communication that we can measure and follow up through the performance management process we developed and implemented last year.
So if this is something you want to try – moving your planning and development activities to a place outdoors that trigger long term perspectives and sustainable decision making – but still comfortable and neat as an ordinary one day conference off site, please reach out! I still have room for a few more this autumn 😉
