Acknowledging the efforts of your team is paramount to keeping your team motivated during the summer months. One way to reward your team is to hold an annual out-of-office team retreat, says Neil Menzies, a financial advisor with Arbutus Financial Services Ltd. in Vancouver. A retreat can motivate your team and to set the agenda for the coming months.
“During the summer, many clients are away or not thinking about finances,” says Menzies says. “So, it is an opportune time to step away from the business and charge up the team.”
Whether your retreat includes hitting the beach for a barbecue or an afternoon on the links, the goal, Menzies says, is to get the team together outside of the office. Team members can get to know each other better, which helps them work better as a team, while setting the tone for the coming months.
Menzies offers some tips on how to get the ball rolling on your own staff retreat:
> Let the team take charge
The first step in organizing a staff retreat, Menzies says, is to shift responsibility from yourself to your staff.
Start by striking a planning committee to build a series of goals that you want to accomplish during the retreat.
Once the committee has been established, step away and let the team run the rest of the operation.
Getting your team members to plan the retreat will help keep them motivated because it allows them to take pride of ownership in the event.
> Keep the agenda tight
In most cases, team retreats last about two days. Because that time is relatively short, you should have a clear agenda to keep the event in focus.
Menzies says his team retreats typically have an agenda of four main presentations, on topics such as communication, time management, compliance and technology.
In addition, his team organizes a secondary agenda of items that acts as a “nice to get to if there’s time” plan. What is important here, is that there is ongoing discussion between advisors and team members.
> Sprinkle in some fun
While the main purpose of your team retreat is to focus on business building, don’t forget to add a fun activity or two to help break up the day.
For example, after a content-heavy seminar on compliance, change up the pace by playing a game of dodgeball or volleyball to keep everyone refreshed.
> Keep the momentum
A well-run retreat should help recharge the batteries of your team members and set out the goals you hope to achieve once business picks up again in autumn.
More important, however, is finding ways to carry your team’s “summer spirit” forward into the busy months.
“It’s well worth keeping your momentum going from your retreats,” Menzies says. “We find a great deal of goodwill develops from the natural interaction of [everyone] outside the office.”
Menzies, for example, follows up frequently on goals and responsibilities that were laid out at his team’s retreat. Every month, he and his team meet for 90 minutes to review how they are progressing. These meetings ensure the retreat “takeaways” are maintained in day-to-day office life.