What happens on Day One of a family business retreat?

Day One unifies intention and direction and surfaces the values and vision that will anchor the next two days. Kris Kluver, in The Dysfunctional Family Office, structures the first day around two objectives. Unify intention and direction. Determine values and vision. The agenda runs check-in, the founder reading the Founder's Mandate aloud, open discussion, lunch, family values and True North work, discovering your why, and conclusion. Dinner that night is the founder's story. The vulnerability gets front-loaded. The founder's reading of the Mandate sets the tone for everything that follows. If the founder is open and curious, the family follows. If defensive or guarded, the family does the same. The day is heavy by design. Most families end Day One emotionally exhausted and slightly raw, which is the right state for the work to come.