From Insights to Action: Leading a Non-Profit Team Retreat

One of my favorite parts of working with leadership teams is helping them turn challenges into clear, doable steps. Recently, I had the chance to do just that with a non-profit team that brought me in to lead a retreat focused on hiring, communication, and professional development.

Before the retreat, I spent time interviewing their team to uncover common themes—because let’s be real, you can’t fix what you don’t fully understand. Three major themes stood out loud and clear:

✔ Execution – Making sure things actually get done efficiently.

✔ Consistent, productive communication – Because unclear messages lead to wasted time and frustration.

✔ Onboarding & Professional Development – New hires need clarity, and current employees want opportunities to grow.

Breaking It Down, Making It Work

This wasn’t about sitting in a room listening to a lecture—it was about solving problems together.

I started by sharing my findings, then split the team into small groups to come up with real, practical solutions for their biggest challenges. No vague ideas—just simple, actionable steps to improve execution, communication, and onboarding. The best part? The solutions came from them. When people create the plan, they take ownership of making it work.

A Scavenger Hunt… for Work?

After all the brainstorming, I wanted to keep things engaging. So, we wrapped up with a scavenger hunt—customized to their type of work. Each clue required them to solve a problem related to their daily roles. Get the answer right? Move to the next clue.

It was fun, a little competitive, and (sneakily) reinforced everything we had just worked through. Watching the team strategize, communicate, and execute—while actually enjoying it—was the best reminder of why I love this work.

If your team needs a fresh approach to hiring, communication, or leadership, let’s talk. Because work shouldn’t feel like you’re constantly putting out fires—it should feel clear, structured, and maybe even… fun.