I know of one leadership team who used a three-day retreat to address these important questions. What resulted was a code of conduct or a type of ground rules for the executive team. It included very practical real life behaviours. If a member failed to uphold the ground rules, his or her colleagues felt quite comfortable in calling them on it. Daily they were building a reputation of connecting to the values and conscience of the organization.
Organizations often spend many hours and resources in developing strategic plans.
Ask any staff person what is contained in the plan and how are they contributing to its accomplishment. They will usually give you a blank stare. I recently spoke to a group of energetic staff members who were attempting to explain how they were busily planning their new projects. When I asked them how they had decided upon these projects, they gave me a vague response noting only that their Director had talked to customers. What this indicated to me was that the staff did not have a clear idea of where exactly the organization was going.