CFYE: Strategic Alignment | Amsterdam

Challenge

CFYE annual team retreat brings together 60 members from various countries. The team wanted this event not only to be fun and engaging but also to align strategic priorities and improve collaboration. The team was eager to clarify their collective goals for the next 18 months and enhance their understanding of each other's roles, particularly as they often navigate competing priorities across various aspects of the Fund.

Approach

To address CFYE’s goal of fostering alignment and collaboration at their annual team retreat, we designed an engaging session focused on integrated delivery, strategic prioritisation, and role clarity. We structured the session in three key parts to maximise reflection, alignment, and actionable outcomes. The event began with a team reflection on integrated delivery, where participants shared successes and challenges from their specific countries. This initial activity encouraged open dialogue, enabling team members to recognise what worked and identify actions to improve the effectiveness of their collaboration going forward.

Next, teams engaged in a strategic discussion focused on the Fund’s vision and objectives. Through facilitated prompts, each team developed a Priority Matrix that clearly mapped out their most critical priorities for the upcoming period. This exercise provided clarity and direction, helping teams align their efforts around CFYE’s common goals.

In the final part, participants gathered in their workstream teams to discuss roles, responsibilities, and cross-functional collaboration. Each team used the Start, Stop, Continue framework to share feedback, generating actionable items to enhance their work as part of the Fund.

By the end, teams had a clearer understanding of each other’s roles, a renewed commitment to shared objectives, and a roadmap for improving collaboration.