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REALTOR® ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE
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|  Summer 2002 Forward-Thinking Leadership Retreats: How to get the most out of your annual leadership get-togethers. by Steve Bergsman The Maryland association president, vice-president, directors, and staff sat in a meeting room at a fine hotel, eager to tackle tough business issues during their first leadership retreat. The group sat poised to take notes, toss out suggestions, and prepare the association’s agenda for the next year--only no one spoke. In the quiet, it suddenly dawned on the group: they weren’t sure how to begin. ‘We were sitting around, looking at each other awkwardly,’ recalls Mary Antoun, CEO of the Maryland Association of Realtors® in Annapolis. ‘We knew why we were there, but we hadn’t held a retreat before, so nobody knew the rules.’ That was three years ago, and by the end of that retreat the leadership had managed to tackle the association’s tough issues. In fact, the retreat was so successful that it’s now an annual event. Getting Your Retreat Right If you’re organizing a retreat, even a free-flowing one, consider a few ground rules. First, retreats are most productive when they are held off-site, such as at a conference-ready hotel or restaurant with meeting rooms appropriate for the size and duration of your gathering. An off-site meeting keeps participants focused, uninterrupted by phone calls, e-mails, and other distractions of the daily grind. Invite your president to suggest or choose the meeting location. Room and meal costs, but not travel expenses, are typically assumed by the association. Productive leadership retreats typically last about a day to a day and a half, although some can run longer or shorter. The most important aspect of planning a leadership retreat is figuring out why you are having it, notes Saul Klein, president of San Diego-based technology consulting company InternetCrusade and frequent guest speaker at leadership retreats across the country. ‘Leadership retreats are most effective when the volunteer leadership team and staff know what they want the session to accomplish, what they are trying to communicate, and what ideas, concepts, and responsibilities they want to discuss,’ explains Klein. ‘Sometimes, leadership wants to use the retreat for strategic planning, but doesn’t label it as such.’ Small-group retreats thrive on unfettered intellectual interaction between leaders, but larger retreats with 12 or more participants require detailed planning. That means determining not only subject matter, but also timing of breaks, lunches, break-out discussion groups, and speakers. For example, should the motivational speaker be scheduled in the morning, or should the planning session take place first? Staff and leaders must communicate a clear message to their speakers if their retreat is to be an effective learning and planning experience. Klein says he recently received an e-mail from an association that wanted him to conduct a six-hour leadership program. He surmised, based on the content of the e-mail, that ‘they didn’t know what they wanted.’ Without direction or input from the association staff and leaders, speakers might deliver a program that doesn’t address the group’s most important issues or stumbling blocks. Another disadvantage to the association of leaving the content to the speaker is the risk that you could end up with a generic ‘all-purpose’ presentation that may motivate leaders but leave them directionless. Even with an ambitious agenda and top-notch speakers, leadership retreats don’t have to be expensive, Klein says. You can hold a one day, 15-person retreat for $5,000, including lunch, snacks, and the cost of the facility rental. But the key to success is that participants commit to giving their time and attention--something Realtors® can find difficult to do. Ironing Out Issues Every autumn, the incoming officers and the chief executive of the Maryland Association of Realtors® sequester themselves at a comfortable off-site location, usually a homey inn, to set the agenda for the coming year, discuss how they will approach issues ranging from RPAC fundraisers to member education, and work together. The meeting lasts about a day and a half, which means that all participants stay for the night. The association picks up the cost, which Antoun estimates is usually several thousand dollars. For a leadership retreat, Maryland’s is one of the smallest and the least structured. There’s no firm agenda, no outside presenters, no motivational speakers, and no team-building games--none of the elements that are common to leadership retreats. (Some larger associations invite 100 to 200 participants and devise a detailed retreat itinerary.) ‘The president tends to run the meeting by putting items on the table for discussion,’ says Antoun. If any of the other officers have issues to highlight, those topics are raised as well. ‘This is the opportunity for us to sit down and map out what we want to do during the year and how we want to do it.’ Topic-Driven Gatherings The Realtor® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale holds its overnight retreat in the fall after its board elections. This year it’s on an island resort in North Palm Beach County. About 40 people attend, including incoming and current leadership, incoming board committee chairs, association department heads, and staff. The cost of the conference to the association is $5,000 to $7,000, which includes the price of the meeting room, meals, and break snacks. The president-elect chooses the topics, from technology to consensus building, and the type of program--speaker-driven, workgroup style, or teambuilding--’although there is a general strategic planning focus to it all,’ says Richard Barkett, chief executive of the association. In fact, the second day is almost always devoted to association goals and objectives for the next year. ‘This year, we’ll devote time to looking at some of the problem areas within the association and discuss how to better communicate with members,’ says Barkett. ‘We’ll also focus on technology and encourage our leaders to become tech-savvy examples for the membership.’ Training Immersion The North Carolina Association of Realtors® in Greensboro runs a one-day leadership retreat for about 100 of its association leaders every December at a conference hotel. The association refers to it as a ‘vision quest’ instead of a retreat. ‘Most of our 68 local associations send their president, president-elect, and maybe a couple of other members of their board to vision quest,’ explains Tina Covington, political affairs director for NCAR. The incoming state association president leads the meeting, which usually costs the association about $25,000. For attendees there is a nominal registration fee that helps defray some of the costs of meals and speakers. Although the vision quest is a one-day program, NCAR schedules several programs on the day or two before the session, such as RPAC fundraising training and association spokesperson training. The programs all stick to a rigid timetable and may include leadership skills training, a session dedicated to association-specific issues, a segment on services the association provides, should provide, or should provide better, and outside speakers. Last year, a political research specialist spoke about the upcoming election year, candidates’ platforms and how state redistricting would affect re-election chances for member-backed candidates. Whether you decide to hold an elaborate ‘quest’ or an informal brainstorming retreat, you have a lot to consider: agenda, meeting locations, budget. But associations with established retreat programs agree that the investment in time and money pays staff and members back tenfold by boosting the leaderships’ dedication, motivation, and effectiveness. Successful Retreats To hold a successful retreat, says Richard Barkett, chief executive of the Realtor® Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale, follow these three rules: 1. Know your budget. Even if your association does not have a big enough budget for an overnight retreat with speakers, there are usually affiliates or vendors that could sponsor the entire meeting or, at minimum, an event in order to market their product or service to your leadership. 2. Opt for an attractive location. Find a venue that is not only convenient, but also conducive to the group’s size and characteristics. The facility is really a key point since it sets the mood. It pays to go the extra mile with a top-notch venue since inconveniences such as poor food, bad service, or cramped rooms can detract from the task at hand. 3. Know your topics and your leaders’ mission. Plan the retreat around the objectives and goals that the group wishes to accomplish in the coming year. Gather this information from your leaders well in advance of your retreat. |
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