SGR often get calls that start with a leader saying, “I want to have a retreat, but I’m not exactly sure what we want it to be on. Can you help us?”
Our answer is always, "Yes!"

If you can relate to this question, then SGR can help you, because SGR specializes in workshops and retreats. All our retreats are customized to fit your specific needs. We will collaborate with you to develop an agenda that helps you grow as authentic and effective servant leaders, is dynamic and engaging, and accomplishes your specific objectives.

Some of the more common things that we find organizations want to focus on are:

• Teambuilding
• Strategic Planning
• Strategic Foresight and Innovation
• Organizational Dynamics
• Citizen Engagement
• Servant Leadership Principles

Whether it’s about one of these topics or something completely different, together we will develop a customized agenda for your retreat that will help your team make significant strides toward becoming more cohesive and effective. SGR can help you plan retreats that range from a half-day to two or more full days away from the office.

Top Management Team Workshops

SGR offers many services that will help your organization develop leaders at every level. The following workshop topics are some of our most popular offerings, which can be stand-alone events or part of an organizational development journey that may be a multi-year strategy.

Creating a Servant Leadership Culture Workshop

This workshop focuses on the 12 Principles of Servant Leadership and how leaders can develop or strengthen the culture of their organization by implanting these principles throughout their organizational systems. In the first part of the day, we discuss the 12 Principles and how they apply to each person. In the second half of the day, we look at some case studies and let the participants discuss how well they are doing at living out those principles.

Day 2 is just for your organization’s leadership team, and the focus on that day is a discussion about how your organization can begin to align systems with these principles. SGR is always so excited about the impact of this process that if your organization holds this workshop, we will not charge you for Day 2.

I-OPT Workshop

In organizational design, complementary skills and capabilities are what make all the difference. “Teamwork” means that each person helps make the team work, and people have to be “plugged in” properly so that their unique skills and abilities mesh with those of others’ on the team.

So, what is an I-OPT Workshop? It’s simply an event centered around the utilization of I-OPT Assessments, which measure how a person perceives and processes information. Prior to the workshop each person on your team will complete an online assessment, then at the workshop an SGR facilitator will provide an overview of the I-OPT Model and lead your team to review and discuss their I-OPT Profiles with each other.

Understanding one’s own I-OPT Profile makes it possible to become more self-aware. Understanding another’s I-OPT Profile helps predict how they will approach any given situation. Reviewing assessment results in a facilitated setting helps not just reinforce that everyone is “different,” it also assists individuals and teams to better understand the implications of those differences. Most importantly, understanding how to maximize those differences will allow your team to become more effective overall. SGR utilizes Dr. Gary Salton’s validated I-OPT Assessment to build camaraderie, facilitate productive discussion, and develop great-er self-awareness.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

This workshop is based on the book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. The overall objective of the workshop is:

• To help participants make substantial progress in working together as a team.
• To gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the contributions of each team member.
• To develop strategies to help the team overcome each of the five dysfunctions.

While this workshop can be customized to fit the needs of your team, a typical workshop will include the following elements, which are crucial in leading a team to overcome the Five Dysfunctions:

• Overview of Five Dysfunctions Model
• Team Assessment - A helpful exercise which allows participants to uncover how well they perceive the team to be functioning. Participant responses to assessment questions will remain anonymous.
• Building Trust – The team will learn why trust is the foundation for overcoming all other dysfunctions and focus on some simple steps that can be initiated to build trust within the group. The team will also review the results of the I-OPT Survey.
• Engaging in Conflict - We will examine what it means to engage in healthy conflict over issues and why the fear of conflict leads to a decrease in emotional commitment to the goals of the team.
• Achieving Commitment – We will focus on how to develop emotional commitment to the decisions that the team will make, using two important tools:
  1. Embracing Accountability – The team will have the opportunity to share candidly, yet appropriately, what they feel each person contributes to the team’s effectiveness.
  2. Focusing on the Results – The team will create some ways to track their progress toward reaching a common unifying goal.

Citizen Engagement

In our increasingly polarized political climate, it’s harder than ever to get vital yet controversial projects implemented. This workshop will provide your leadership team with principles, strategies, and tactics to engage the public in ways that build trust in your organization. Using real-world examples, you’ll see how a straightforward, objectives-driven process results in consent for even the most difficult projects. This approach is a natural extension of your strategic vision and strategic plans and is especially effective on infrastructure projects. Got a big project coming up? We can also help design a citizen engagement program to ensure it gets implemented.

This workshop is facilitated by SGR's Sr. Vice President Will Hampton, who has spent nearly 24 years in local government communication and is a former newspaper editor and reporter. He designed and managed successful citizen participation programs for infrastructure, economic development, noise ordinance and even animal control ordinance proposals. Two of his citizen participation campaigns won national recognition. More importantly, they resulted in a public satisfaction that they had been given legitimate opportunities for input even if the end result of the project wasn't what they originally hoped for.

SGR also offers a powerful and insightful polarization workshop through our Strategic Foresight program, which can help leadership teams understand and plan for what the future of this current polarized climate may look like for your organization and community.

Executive Book Briefings

It’s been said that if you want to grow your organization, grow your leaders. SGR believes that one of the best ways to help your top leaders stay on the leading edge is through Executive Book Briefings. What are Executive Book Briefings and how do they work? SGR Executive Book Briefings are dynamic 60 to 90 minute presentations that explore leading edge concepts addressed in best-selling leadership and business books. These sessions will engage your team in a practical real-world discussion regarding how a concept, idea, or practice applies to your personal leadership challenges.

Each Executive Book Briefing includes a packet that provides a brief outline, an abundance of key quotes, and discussion question sets designed to inspire conversation by bringing the book's concepts to life. If you are looking for a cost-effective, efficient, and consistent way to help your team keep growing as leaders, Executive Book Briefings could be a very useful tool.

About the Executive Book Briefing Facilitator

SGR has developed a strategic partnership with Randy Mayeux, a professional book reviewer, who lives by the tagline, "I read the books so you don't have to." Randy has spent over 20 years facilitating book briefings for a broad spectrum of audiences while drawing on universal leadership and management concepts from leading and impactful authors.

Contact Us

Email us for additional information.

Email: Training@GovernmentResource.com
Meet the Team: Leadership Development and Training