When was the last time you felt like your team wasn’t operating under the same set of goals and priorities? Did you feel like you were simply reacting to fire drills each day, as opposed to thinking strategically? Your team may not understand what the key objectives and goals are for the upcoming year, and may think that they’re best serving the practice and clients by simply reacting to daily challenges and requests.

If that's the case, consider an Annual Offsite Team Meeting, in which you gather your entire team (financial professionals, staff and key strategic partners or virtual team members) outside the office for a half-day of strategic business planning. This is an opportunity for each team member to be heard, express ideas, frustrations, challenges, and, most importantly, for the team to set clear measurable and monitorable goals. 

Each Team Member Will Understand What They're Accountable for, and Will Know What Success Looks Like

The annual offsite meeting is also an opportunity to celebrate successes that have happened throughout the year and thank your team for their contributions. End the meeting with a group meal or an activity that fosters relationships within your team, such as volunteering in your community. Be creative, be appreciative, but most importantly, be a great team! You'll find that your team is energized, on the same page, and better connected with each other because of this annual meeting. 

One of the most dangerous words a team can use is the word “WE”

This little word may seems safe enough, but it is impossible to hold “we” accountable. Reflect on the last time your team said “we should do this....or we need to do that....”. It is probably an ingrained part of your team vernacular, because it feels collaborative. Make this the year of abolishing WE from your team vocabulary. Make sure that specific team members have been identified as the driver of goals and initiatives. This will help you consistently go from concept to execution.

Reflect on the list of topics below. Gathering your team (financial professionals and staff), annually at an offsite location, to reflect, discuss, prioritize and set goals. Depending on your own team’s lifecycle, some topics may be more timely than others. This is merely a place to start. We look forward to helping you build your own customized Annual Team Offsite Agenda.

Annual Team Offsite Meeting Themes: