Every year, Latitude Commercial takes a day to bring their team together, look back on their last year and where they can grow and retreat from the office for a bit of relaxation. This year, the team convened at a private room at the Hard Rock Casino, spending the day reflecting on and refining their business before enjoying dinner at one of the restaurants inside the Casino.
The annual retreat started about five years ago and has become even more important as Latitude’s team continues to expand with two new hires this year already.
“It’s really just an opportunity for the office to get together and brainstorm,” said Brett McDermott, co-founder/senior vice president at Latitude. “We talk about what went well, what we could change, and what we might work on in the future. It gets us talking and helps us come together as a group to help strengthen the office.”
During every retreat, Latitude invites an outside consultant along, offering a perspective McDermott believes is incredibly important.
“We’ve been working with the same coach since we started the annual retreat and she’s been learning a lot about us because she works with everyone individually after the retreat,” he said. “That outsider perspective is such a good thing to have, and it makes everyone feel comfortable talking with her about ideas they might have.”
Kayla Patrick, Latitude’s office manager, joined the firm last year, making this retreat her first.
“Getting to see the team as a whole and put ideas in the air, just having that raw conversation was great,” she said. “Plus, you being out of the office and seeing everybody more relaxed is important. We have meetings all the time, but putting away the typical agenda and having that outsider perspective really opens things up and made me more comfortable with my team.”
For Associate Broker John O’Malley, the retreat offers a way to see the progress he – and Latitude – have made over the years.
“It’s hard to see progress when you’re going day by day,” he said. “Once you look at it annually, that’s when you can really see what you’ve been doing. You can see when certain stages and practices were implemented and the progress you’ve made throughout that time. It really lets you plan your vision and accomplish your goals.”
Of course, getting to relax and bond as a team after the meeting is also important in its own way.
“It’s great to sit down and have a nice dinner together,” McDermott said. “You get to have completely different conversations than when it’s all business related. You can just open up and have a good time.”
To learn more about Latitude Commercial, visit latitudeco.com
