In the past, we have told you about our, “gathering week.” Even more in depth, we have told you about days 1 and 2 of the quarterly summit gathering, as well as days 3 and 4, and most recently our Nashville Gathering Week. Through highlighting what we do, some people have asked why we do this. Any company taking their employees out of the office for a week must feel seriously about something.
There are a few reasons we take the time out of our day-to-day work to have this gathering week. We talk about how each branch performed, and specifically each department . We discuss what went well and what went wrong. This allows us to address questions and concerns, as well as allows other branches the opportunity to learn from their peers mistakes or successes.
One very important topic we discuss is our top three strengths, as well as the three most important things we need to improve upon. This is essential for us to talk about every quarter, because it helps keep us on our a-game. Knowing you weaknesses is just as important as knowing your strengths. By doing this, we can see how to change or improve with each quarter. We also see what we are doing right.
Operations Manager, Shelton Blease, feels strongly about the event, ” Gathering week is a great opportunity to meet other team members, as well as get to know them on a personal level. It is important for us to build relationships with our team, and the other branches. We learn not only about IDR but about one another and how we work as a team.”
Why do this quarterly? Most companies will agree, it is a good idea to get your team on the same page and highlight successes or struggles. But every 3 months? We believe identifying short term goals helps keep those goals attainable. It also helps us make sure they align with long term goals and keeps us on track. It also helps us analyze the overall direction of the organization.
How often does your company meet together for the big discussions? Do you take a week together, or just discuss it in a meeting? This is what works best for us, what works best for you?