When the going gets tough ... the tough retreat.

When the going gets tough ... the tough ... RETREAT!!! I will bet you just thought of the words, "The tough-get going!" Most people do. Why? Because most people do things the same old way--every time!

It is fascinating to see how many companies and organizations preach to their staff and their client base, "Come play with us because ... WE ARE DIFFERENT!" yet they do the same things in their organizations day after day, week after week, year after year.

When something is working, obviously you want it to keep on working and there is a tendency to say, "If it ain't broke ... don't fix it!"

Progressive managers and company owners are now embracing the philosophy, "If it ain't broken ... fix it anyway!"

Why? The horse-drawn carriage wasn't broke. Henry Ford saw a better way and now we have automobiles which, by the way, keep getting better and better each year.

The mining industry has always been a driving economic force in Northern Ontario. The systems and safety procedures that have been implemented over the years have increased safety and efficiency so much that deaths and serious accidents have been reduced significantly, according to the Mines Accident Safety and Health Association (MASHA.)

The old way of saying, "Go down the hole and dig until your shift is over," never really served anyone.

The title of this article, "When the going gets tough ... the tough ... RETREAT," has a double meaning.

One way to retreat is to actually spend time away from the office in a secluded area like a resort or conference centre. Many organizations plan annual getaways for their teams on the premise of, "Creating togetherness!"

One of the complaints that employees and conference delegates have had lately has been the SAME-NESS of the experience year after year. The executives read the State-of-the-union-address; the managers give their annual dissertation; meals are served; promises are made; a "Rah-rah we-can-do-it-together" speech is given; and you go home to discover that little, if anything, has changed.

The philosopher Emerson said, "Of what use to make heroic vows of amendment if the same old law breaker is going to carry out the task?"

What if you could do it slightly differently? What would it mean to your organization if you could make your retreat experience memorable and meaningful? What would it mean to you personally and professionally to be stretched and held more accountable?"

While some would argue that, "I like things the way they are," the truth is, most of us want to be challenged. Nothing stays the same, you are either growing or dying--it is one of the natural laws of the universe. The same can be said of your company or organization.

As one of the co-authors in the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, I have had the privilege of being mentored, inspired, stretched and held accountable by some of the greatest teachers and leaders of our time.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, the founders of the Chicken Soup book series, have always believed in finding out what the Best-of-the-Best do and emulate them.

When Jack and Mark heard that the restaurant chain McDonald's hosted McDonald's University, Chicken Soup for the Soul University (CSSU) was immediately established.

All the co-authors were invited to attend along with the publishers, marketing staff and production teams. The first ever CSSU was held in 1996, right after we had hit the 10 million mark in number of books sold.

We were challenged to find new ways to market books. "Think of things that have worked in other industries and let's see if we can apply them to selling books. ANYTHING GOES!" said Jack and Mark.

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Hundreds of new and innovative ideas resulted from our session, with one important distinction--Mark and Jack guaranteed us that at least five of the ideas would be put into place. We all knew that our time would be well spent. The creativity was expanded with the guarantee. We knew that our ideas meant something.

"They sell soup in cans, why don't we sell Soup books in cans?" was an idea I shared. A few months later, we sold 50,000 extra Chicken Soup books because we put them in a can! (To-date, over 80 million Chicken Soup books have been sold.)

From that experience, we developed the philosophy, THINK OUTRAGEOUS and settle for AMAZING.

Mark Victor Hansen once challenged us to figure out a way to sell one million books ... in one day! We set a huge plan into action and eventually sold over 140,000 books in one day. Did we hit our goal? NO ... But no one was disappointed.

What can you guarantee at your next retreat?

Don't just have a golf tournament--make it mean something. At a recent retreat I challenged the golfers to "Have fun" and NOTICE WHAT YOU NOTICE about your team and yourself after every shot. The insights were profound. "I can cheer on my teammates and forgive their mistakes, but I beat myself up if I make a mistake," noticed one golfer. "You always get another chance," quipped another.

The second meaning of this article's title is to RETREAT ... within yourself. Let's face reality--it is not always possible to go to a management retreat or conference. You might not have them in your company or you may not be invited.

When the going gets tough ... the tough ... can take a few minutes to mentally "go inside themselves" so they can reflect on the situation at hand.

Ask yourself, "What is the real problem or challenge that I am faced with?"

Write the problem down on paper. Brainstorm at least ten possible solutions to your dilemma.

Decide on a course of action. ACT. Respond to the feedback. Act again.

Whether you are hosting a management retreat or retreating inside yourself, how do you make it different, relevant and stimulating? It's about challenging yourself to be your best and building from there.

When the going gets tough ... What will YOU do?

Barry Spilchuk is a professional speaker who lives in North Bay.

He can be reached at [e-mail]