Feedback from the Getaway

As discussed in our previous post, last week we had our annual end of year getaway. This week we would like to explain in more detail about the getaway and share someone’s firsthand experience from their week away.

The getaway consisted of a variety of challenges that included archery, a maze, water relay, abseiling, rafting, tent building with a twist (blindfolded) and an obstacle course complete with an electric wire covered mud pit. Milton coordinates all of the challenges and has been doing so for over sixteen years but this year was different, over 75% percent of the people attending had never been before.

People often question the relevance of our end of year getaway to real estate. Brock our General Manager describes his experience from his first getaway:-

Now having been for the four full days, I can tell you the lessons I learnt have more to do with what we have to deal with then most of the Courses I have been to this year, if not the last decade.

Here are the top three things I learnt, and I suspect so did my colleagues:-

Strategy. It’s always better to take a minute to plan through your strategy, considering all the options, possible outcomes and obstacles before setting off.  Sometimes things are more complicated than the may first appear, and likewise, sometimes things are not as complicated as they may first look.  Even with excellent execution, the wrong strategy will lead to failure.

Team work. Often talked about, but lacking in many work environments.  The challenges set out in this getaway relied heavily on team work, and more importantly, communication.  Teams that lacked the initial ‘team’ culture, or didn’t communicate with each other were at the mercy of the teams that did.  The bond of a common goal, once understood by all stakeholders, allowed teams to create unstoppable momentum.

Look for the gift in every situation. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but often the biggest lessons are learnt in the losses.  In addition, it’s how quickly you recover from your losses.  If you took the resentment of the previous challenges loss to the next challenge, you were destined to lose again.  So brush it off, lesson learnt, and get on with the next one.

Everyone who attended this year has had a similar experience to what Brock discussed. At Real Estate Plus we have identified the importance of personal development for all of our staff and now that the team has come back from the getaway- apart from feeling a little sore, they have come back refreshed and ready for 2016. We look forward to what they achieve in the future.