Technically, yes! We believe it’s best to run a Liftoff as a consecutive two-day event, but it is possible to do it in stages. For example, I once facilitated a Liftoff in two parts: first, I worked through the Purpose section with leadership and team, then a couple of weeks later, we covered Alignment and Context with just the team. The main disadvantage of this approach was that leadership wasn’t present for the team alignment and context sessions, which limited the impact of those discussions, but nonetheless it was much better than doing no Liftoff at all.
Many team coaches or team leads often find themselves working with a team that is already in flight. Additionally, some new joiners in an organization may not be able to get both the team and leadership to commit to a full two-day session. In such cases, breaking the Liftoff into stages can still work—especially if the team already has a strong foundation and can move through key aspects more quickly.
However, if the team or project is just getting started, the best approach is still to book a full two-day session. This ensures that leadership and the team establish a shared understanding right from the start, setting a solid foundation for success.