Leadership Summits That Work

Most leaders and planners assume that summits will not allow for much more than an annual update and marching orders from the top. Steps needed to create a coherent, focused event include: 1. Assigning clear roles that have real authority, 2. Defining clear objectives for the conference by starting with the right questions. 3. Starting the conversation before anyone leaves home, 4. Designing the summit around the objectives and coordinating the content, and 5. Engaging the participants in the issues in the days leading up to the summit. 6. Paying attention to the pace and rhythm of the meeting. 7. Allowing for flexibility within sessions, 8. Improving the quality and effectiveness of top-down communication. 9. Using high - low-tech approaches to capture the thinking of front-line executives and communicate it upward. 10. Making sure ideas flow across the meeting to lay the groundwork for genuine collaboration afterward.