Care for the Carers was concerned about two things: creating a strategic plan for the next five years, and developing a closer working relationship between senior staff and the board, so I organized a retreat for the board and management team. The first session was a vision ‘challenge’ – each group reviewed and made recommendations for the existing vision, then compared notes and worked together to craft a single statement. Next, I used Open Space to facilitate their strategic planning, where the team produced a bullet point plan, timetable and map of responsibilities. The ED later reported that the excitement and energy around what they had achieved in just one day continued to motivate them; within a few months they produced a strategic plan and gained full buy-in from staff. “The facilitation of our planning day went better than I could have hoped. Your style and the methods you chose for us were absolutely right. Everyone felt part of the process and that they owned the outcomes. Thank you!”