Away Days & Strategy Facilitation
Align the room. Leave with a plan.
Strategy sessions only work when someone skilled is holding the space. We facilitate leadership away days and OKR planning sessions that go beyond inspiration — and leave your team with clear, agreed priorities they actually believe in.
Every session is designed around your context. No off-the-shelf agendas, no generic exercises.
is enough to align a leadership team on priorities and draft the next cycle of company OKRs
(The OKR Hub, client data)
of leadership teams say they leave our facilitated sessions with clearer strategic alignment than before
(The OKR Hub, client feedback)
faster OKR adoption when the exec team sets OKRs together in a facilitated session vs. asynchronously
(The OKR Hub, client data)
Why it works
Why external facilitation changes the outcome
Most leadership away days feel great in the room and fade within a fortnight. That’s because inspiration without structure doesn’t translate into action — and because when someone internal runs the session, they can’t fully participate in it.
We bring structure, an OKR lens and the neutrality to say what needs to be said. The result is a session where decisions actually get made — not deferred — and where everyone leaves knowing what happens next.
Talk to us about your next session →Leaders can actually participate
When someone internal runs the session, they’re simultaneously facilitating and trying to influence the outcome. An external facilitator removes that conflict — your leaders can think, not manage the room.
Difficult conversations surface
External facilitators can name what’s in the room without political risk. We ask the questions that internal teams often avoid — and that’s where the most important alignment happens.
Outputs are higher quality
We know what good OKRs look like. We challenge vague objectives, push back on unmeasurable key results, and help the room write OKRs they can actually track — not just agree to.
Accountability follows naturally
When priorities are agreed in a structured, facilitated session, the ownership is clearer and the commitment is stronger. It’s harder to deprioritise something you decided together in a room.
How we work
From enquiry to follow-up
Every session runs through four stages. The work before the day is what makes the day itself land.
Discovery call
We start with a 30-minute conversation to understand your strategic context, what tensions exist in the leadership team, and what a successful session looks like for you. Nothing is templated — this call shapes everything.
Session design
We design a bespoke agenda built around your objectives — sequencing the right conversations, choosing the right exercises, and anticipating the moments that need careful facilitation. You review and approve before the day.
Facilitated session
We run the day — keeping the room on track, surfacing the important conversations that teams tend to avoid, and translating outputs into clear OKR drafts as you go. Your leaders participate; we hold the space.
Post-session wrap-up
Within 48 hours we send a clean session summary: agreed OKRs, key decisions, open questions and recommended next steps. Everything needed to brief the wider team and carry momentum forward.
Session formats
We adapt to your situation
Every organisation is different. We offer a range of facilitated formats — from a focused half-day to a full residential — each designed around your strategic moment.
Strategy Alignment Session
For leadership teams who need to align on priorities before setting OKRs. We facilitate the conversation — surfacing tensions, creating shared clarity and translating strategy into the first draft of company-level OKRs.
Outputs
- Agreed top 3–5 strategic priorities
- Draft company-level OKRs
- Decision log and open questions
Best for: Leadership teams preparing for a new OKR cycle
OKR Kick-off Session
The structured launchpad for a new OKR cycle. Leadership teams set company OKRs together, teams cascade their objectives in facilitated breakouts, and everyone leaves knowing exactly what they’re working towards.
Outputs
- Company OKRs set and approved
- Team-level OKR drafts cascaded
- Cycle calendar and check-in schedule
Best for: Teams launching their first or next OKR cycle
Mid-cycle Review & Reset
A facilitated retrospective for teams 6–8 weeks into a cycle. We help you assess progress, surface blockers, recalibrate priorities and re-engage teams before momentum fades.
Outputs
- OKR health assessment
- Agreed priority adjustments
- Blocker resolution actions
Best for: Teams that have lost momentum mid-cycle
Annual Strategy Away Day
For leadership teams stepping back to think about the bigger picture. We combine strategic horizon-scanning with a practical OKR-setting process — so you leave with clarity and conviction, not just inspiration.
Outputs
- Annual strategic narrative
- Year-ahead OKR framework
- Q1 priorities and ownership agreed
Best for: Exec teams at the start of a new financial year
Not sure which format fits? Talk to us and we’ll recommend the right approach.
Is this right for you?
Away days work best when
Leadership teams preparing to set or reset their OKRs for the next cycle
Organisations where strategy and execution feel disconnected
Exec teams who want an external facilitator to hold the space
Teams who’ve had unproductive planning sessions and want a structured alternative
Businesses preparing for a significant period of change or growth
Often paired with
Away days work particularly well as the starting point for a wider engagement. Here’s what clients often add alongside a facilitated session.
Client stories
What clients say
“We came in with six conflicting views on priorities and left with three company OKRs we all believed in. Having an external facilitator made all the difference — it meant the leadership team could actually participate rather than manage the room.”
CEO
Series A fintech
“What I appreciated most was the pre-session work. By the time we were in the room, the facilitator already understood our dynamics and knew where to push. The day moved fast and we left with more clarity than any planning session we’d run internally.”
Chief of Staff
Scale-up, 150 employees
Useful reading
Prepare your team before the day
These free resources give your leadership team a shared understanding of OKRs before they come into the room — which makes the facilitated session significantly more productive.
Free guide
The OKR Rollout Blueprint
A complete stage-by-stage guide to OKR implementation. Ideal pre-reading for any leadership team heading into a planning session — sets shared expectations before anyone enters the room.
Read the BlueprintFree tool
OKR Maturity Assessment
Understand where your organisation is before the away day. Run this assessment beforehand to identify gaps in OKR understanding across your leadership team — and share the results as a pre-read.
Take the free assessmentCommon questions
Questions about Away Days
How far in advance should we book?
Can you facilitate online or hybrid sessions?
What’s the ideal group size for a facilitated away day?
Do we need to have our strategy sorted before the session?
What happens if we don’t reach agreement on the day?
Can you run the session as part of a wider OKR implementation?
Got a planning session coming up?
Tell us about your situation — when it is, who’s in the room and what you’re trying to achieve. We’ll come back with a suggested format and approach, no obligation.