One of the rituals I am most proud that I introduced into my business back when I owned a real estate business, was the quarterly SOCIAL EVENTS. Real estate is hectic and running a real estate business is even tougher. There never seems to be any end to the work, time fly’s and before you know it the years are melting into one and nobody is having FUN. Our quarterly social events brought the staff together and gave us all an opportunity to forget about work and get to know each other on a different, more personal level. They were a lot of fun and it was interesting to see some quiet staff come out of their shells. I can see why organisations do this for team building because it helps build rapport with one another and it’s great to see people in different surroundings and see them all having fun together.
If it’s not permanently on the calendar, it will sadly never happen.
We used to take it a few steps further, we had a committee that organized social events and everyone could nominate an event or activity. We even had a floating trophy ?, if the event was a competition of some sort such as mini-golf, 10-pin bowling, table tennis, pool, lawn bowls, etc. The winner would get the trophy and it would sit on their desks for the quarter and give them bragging rights. Everyone was encouraged to attend and due to the amount of discussion and fun that was had at the various events, even the staff who used to stay away began to join in. Once or twice a year we would have partners invited if the event or activity was appropriate and we would always have a Christmas party with Santa giving each child or grandchild a present. Of course, this was a big hit with the kids, and they had a great time.
Improving office relationships!
You are wondering how this might help you because while it does take time and there are some costs and planning involved, the upsides are the following:
- Better staff retention because they are happy, feel valued, and are part of something
- Everyone wants to join your office because they see everyone having fun and that staff are valued
- Staff are more relaxed as they now realize it’s not all about work and they are allowed to have fun
- Better rapport with staff and their families because you have taken the time to get to know them
- Everyone becomes a little more tolerant of each other because they know everyone better
- Clients get to see how much your staff get on with each other and love that the team is united
- Families get in your corner as they see how important it is to you that the staff are happy relaxed and having fun
And the list goes on.
I love this so much that I have incorporated it into the Real Estate Brilliance membership. Every quarter, we do something different to show that it’s not all about the grind. We work to live; we do not live to work. Our members just love it, and each member gets to rub shoulders with the other members. For some this the only time that they get to chat to or ask questions to million-dollar agents. The comradery is amazing, and the million-dollar agents just love helping the rookies and intermediates because they remember what it was like to struggle and get stuck at certain levels. So, it’s not all work, you should always make time for play.
At my upcoming FREE half-day Real Estate Brilliance webinar, I will introduce you to plenty of other systems and strategies to manage yourself and your teams and keep morale in the office high in even the most trying of times.
