By Christine Corelli
Company retreats represent a significant investment of time and energy. Many construction contractors and related businesses refrain from holding them because they are regarded as time-consuming, and perhaps even a bit frivolous. However, conducted properly, they can be the best overall investment a contractor can make.
Regardless of the size of your business, bringing key people together for a retreat is a smart move. It can be an excellent opportunity for strategic planning, and to make decisions on what actions you need to take to enhance business development, establish higher levels of customer loyalty, improve overall performance, and find ways to be proactive in preventing problems and complaints. It may even open your eyes to things you didn’t know.
Effectively planned and executed, a retreat is also an excellent platform for reinforcing leadership skills, brainstorming ideas, solving problems, stimulating teamwork, nurturing a sense of camaraderie, and clarifying and reaffirming your organization’s policies in the office and on the jobsite. The following are tips to assist you in planning a successful retreat.
BE CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT YOUR RETREAT TO ACCOMPLISH
Specifically, answer these two questions: What has to happen to consider the retreat a success? What specific issues do we want or need to discuss?
HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON YOUR RETREAT TEAM
No more, no less. Remember, this is not a reward or a popularity contest. If you don’t have the right players, your retreat will not be productive. The next tip may help you to designate your retreat team.
DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO INVITE ONLY YOUR EXECUTIVES OR INCLUDE YOUR MANAGEMENT TEAM AND KEY PEOPLE IN YOUR COMPANY
Consider the benefits of including your CFO or accountant, your HR person, project managers, superintendents, and your high-contributing employees, who are emerging leaders.
Before the event, ask your management team to give confidential surveys to their teams on the topics for discussion at the retreat. They will have great insight to bring to your retreat that provides input, shares ideas, and represents the voice of the people in their department. You’ll be surprised at what you might learn. Survey questions could include:
- What, in your opinion, are the three biggest strengths of our company?
- What are you hearing in the field?
- How can management help you to perform your job more effectively?
- How can we improve productivity on the jobsite, teamwork, communication, and morale?
- If you were “in charge” what would be the first thing you’d change?
NAME YOUR EMPLOYEE TEAM
If you decide to invite just a few employees, give them a name, such as the “President’s Advisory Team.” It will demonstrate that you recognize their leadership ability and will make them feel important and appreciated.
ESTABLISH YOUR OBJECTIVES
While every organization has its unique challenges, the following are examples of areas for discussion that you might address:
- How well do we deliver what our customers want, need, and expect?
- What do our project managers hear about us in the field?
- What three complaints do we hear most often?
- What current processes or procedures don’t make sense and hold us back from flawless execution?
- What can we do to become the No. 1 preferred general contractor?
- How can we better support our estimators and business development team?
- What is the overall level of performance of our employees?
- Do our workers and employees have the skills, tools, and training they need?
SET A TIGHTLY FOCUSED AGENDA
Select the three most important topics for discussion. If you try to cover too much, in too little time, you will not be satisfied with the result. Stay on track. Be sure to not let anyone monopolize conversations.
PROVIDE MATERIALS FOR REVIEW
Distribute copies of Modern Contractor Solutions or an article on managing and motivating employees.
BRING INFORMATION
Before the management retreat, ask your team to write down any “intelligence” about what they are hearing about your competitors.
KEEP IT QUIET
Whether you want to work together for 3 days, or you can only spare 1 day, the best place for your retreat is a quiet atmosphere far from the hustle and bustle of the contracting environment. It doesn’t have to be an expensive resort or a fancy country club.
KEEP IT SIMPLE AND INEXPENSIVE IF BUDGET IS A CONCERN
Money is not the key component in a successful retreat. Some highly productive retreats have even been held in an executive’s backyard or at a quiet restaurant with a meeting room. Consider holding your retreat in a simple meeting room, or at a country bed and breakfast inn (with an appropriate private room for your sessions plus a dining room for breaks). Most companies hold retreats that last an entire weekend. Whatever you decide, make sure it is an energizing experience for your retreat team, and that everyone leaves with an Action Plan.
EVERYONE LEAVES HATS AND TITLES AT THE DOOR
At one retreat, the company president stated, “Okay, folks, at our last retreat you told me I needed to do a better job of communicating. How have I been doing lately?” How honest and forthright a statement coming from a top-level executive! The next rule follows.
NO CELL PHONES OR EMAIL DURING THE RETREAT
If your retreat will be held during the week, set half-hour breaks for phone calls.
USE SUBTLE BACKGROUND MUSIC TO ENHANCE CREATIVE THINKING
Studies have proven that people think more creatively when classical music is playing in the background. Just make sure the volume is low and the music is instrumental.
REFRAIN FROM REWARDS
Never use a retreat to award someone. Your time must be spent on idea-sharing and problem-solving.
ENSURE ACTION ITEMS AND “FOLLOW-THROUGH” ARE PART OF YOUR RETREAT PROCESS
When you conclude, be prepared to make final decisions and create assignments.
Here’s a great format to use:
- 1 major strategic initiative and priorities
- 2 areas for improvement in overall performance
- 3 ways to drive business development
- 4 areas for improvement in employee satisfaction
- 5 Critical Success Factors to make it work
EVALUATE
Finally, ask for a candid evaluation from your team. Include the question, “How can we improve our next retreat?” Determine whether they come away with what you had anticipated when the retreat was originally planned.
EXECUTION IS CRITICAL
Make sure your entire corporate retreat team knows that:
Going Back to “Business As Usual” Won’t Cut it. Execution is a Strong Part of Our Success.
RETREAT REPEATEDLY
Many companies hold a yearly retreat, while others hold them quarterly, to make sure their leadership functions as a unified team and stays on track. Others hold a retreat just before an annual employee meeting. Others hold them sometime in late fall or early winter, so they can put their strategy into place and make announcements early in the New Year.
HERE’S AN EXAMPLE OF A RETREAT
A construction contractor on the East Coast invited twelve of their leaders to a special retreat at a quaint but elegant bed and breakfast located on a lake. Check-in was Friday morning where topics of discussion were identified. Then, they played golf. After a good dinner and a quiet restful evening, they all met Saturday A.M. fresh and eager to begin the sessions, which were held in a quiet meeting room in the facility.
Although their managers had already been through an extensive leadership training program, the CEO stated his position to the facilitator he hired for the retreat.
“We can never hear enough about leadership. Let’s kick off our management retreat with a reinforcement of leadership skills.”
The speaker delivered a 1-hour presentation on leadership that was upbeat and highly interactive; critical to maintaining high energy levels. This set the tone for the entire event.
Then, she conducted a corporate retreat team-building exercise, followed by a quick review of the critical team communication skills below to apply during their discussions.
1. Open communication
2. Monitor Communication – Inclusion, Clarification
3. Brainstorming – Idea Sharing
4. Decision Making
She instructed the retreat team to look at their company with the eye of an outside consultant. They proceeded to work for 6 hours, including a working lunch and 20-minute breaks. In the late afternoon, everyone was given some free time. Some napped; some played golf; some went walking in town. In the evening, a quiet dinner was held at a lovely restaurant. The rule at dinner was no business chat!
The next morning, discussions continued. Final decisions were made in the afternoon. Each team member was instructed to develop an action plan to make a strategy work.
Consider more options for your retreat format. Some companies use this type of format:
Day One: Arrival is in the early afternoon, with an early dinner planned. During the dinner, teams of two, three, or four are formed, depending on how many people attend the retreat. Each team is given an assignment from one of the three areas you have selected for retreat discussion. They meet together for an hour to discuss the topic. Then, together, they create a 20-minute presentation that will include the following:
1. Your strengths
2. Your challenges
3. How you can meet these challenges
One person is selected to deliver the presentation to the group. Many may want to use PowerPoint to make a better impact. Later that evening, your team reconvenes as a group and listens to the presentations.
Day Two: Discussions are conducted. Decisions are made and an action plan is developed.
CLOSING THOUGHT
You’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish during a retreat for your contractor business. If you’ve never held one, or if you’ve never held them in the right manner, just do it. Holding a retreat doesn’t have to be costly or formal. I’ve known companies that hold them in someone’s backyard! Holding a retreat with the right structure, format, and facilitator is not an unnecessary expense, but an investment that is well worth making.
about the author:
Christine Corelli is a conference speaker, workshop facilitator, and business columnist. She has worked with an abundance of construction contractor companies and been a featured speaker at industry associations. To contact her for an upcoming meeting, conference, or special event, call 847.477.7376. For more, visit www.christinespeaks.com.
Modern Contractor Solutions, February 2020
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