I have been blessed with cultivating an incredibly special team at San Francisco Plastic Surgery that helps me take the best possible care of our patients. Together, we do amazing work and to keep that going we have some fun along the way, which always includes an annual team-building retreat.
This year, the destination was Napa Valley, where we could enjoy wine, food, spa treatments in an opulent, positive atmosphere. Even more importantly, it was a unique opportunity to learn more about each other and take those lessons back to our practice. Here are a few thoughts on how I developed the retreat, how it went off and what we can take away from the experience.
Designing a Successful Retreat: The New Happy
I love wine country for its beauty, warmth, wine experiences and fresh, local food. Whenever I visit, I always learn something new, fulfilling my personal commitment to lifelong learning. It’s only an hour or so away from San Francisco, but the vibe is worlds apart.
This year’s theme was about happiness, and I am indebted to author Stephanie Harrison for her book, New Happy, and other insights. The book provides a series of evidence-based approaches to understanding and achieving happiness. All too often, we are told what should make us happy, and we don’t take the time to reflect on the things that actually do make us happy.
This approach appealed to me on a couple of levels. First, it’s rooted in research, which speaks to the scientist in me. But also, it blends with my own personal philosophy of happiness. I have long believed that we should design our lives to provide maximum happiness, and that includes the profession you choose, how to choose to spend your time, and whom with.
The Weekend
A Napa Valley retreat offered my team so many opportunities to appreciate each other outside of the workplace, as well as allowing me to express my deep and profound gratitude towards them. Gifting experiences to others is my “love language”. Without this group, I would not have my successful practice (or possibly even my peace of mind).
Naturally, the retreat was built around shared experiences, starting with a workout at my favorite fitness studio, Pure Barre Mill Valley. We then traveled to Rombauer Vineyards for a private outdoor tasting and wine cave tour.
Again, I love the learning aspect of excursions. The educational tour at Rombauer described the entire process of making one of my favorite wines, Rombauer Chardonnay – from harvesting the grapes to sorting, crushing, fermenting in French oak barrels, selecting the best barrels, and finally bottling. The wine cave tour was amazing and a completely unexpected surprise.
Next, we checked into Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort in the town of Calistoga. We loved the retro-themed vibe of this newly renovated resort and enjoyed their offerings like yoga classes and spa treatments.
Their freestanding Art Cottage served as our clubhouse, offering a great venue to hold a margarita soirée and a no-holds-barred, late-night dance party.
In between retreat events, we explored our commitment to patients, with a focus on how we find joy in the unique role we each play in our patients’ journeys. There’s nothing like getting away for a few days to give fresh perspective on our daily routines, and these conversations were rich and rewarding.
“It is definitely a bonding experience. It allows you to just have fun in a non-working environment. We really get to know each other.”
–Mary Pasache, Patient Coordinator/Office Manager of San Francisco Plastic Surgery.
The pièce de résistance was a live video session with our inspiration, Stephanie Harrison, who led us through a team-building activity focused on the best strategies to live our best, most authentic lives and identify our core values.
I’ve long known that gift-giving is something that makes me incredibly happy, and seeing my team’s reactions to their carefully curated swag bags made my trip. “Every year Dr. Horton includes thoughtful gifts as part of our retreat,” said Pasache. This retreat’s goodies included the New Happy book, Havaianas flip flops in each person’s favorite color, sparkly sunblock, a monogrammed insulated water bottle and more.”
The Takeaways
I came away from the retreat knowing that our team is more than a group of coworkers – we are truly a resilient work family who genuinely love each other and come together each day to care for patients as if they are also loved ones.
Beyond that, it gave me many insights into what makes a first-rate retreat. I believe the New Happy book was a great basis for our efforts because it centered our energy on self-inquiry, acceptance and joy. Too often, workplace discussions can get bogged down in negatives. It’s valuable to implement a positive framework and to offer tools that can be used in your personal life as well.
Ultimately, we came out of the weekend a stronger, more cohesive group – if that’s even possible. We will no doubt face challenges in the future – that’s life – but I know we have the resilience and skill set to face them with grace and conquer them.