Summer is coming up! You and your family want to get away, but you’re afraid what will happen to your business if you step away for a week or two. And no one wants to be tethered to their cell phone throughout vacation. So, what’s the solution? I’ve got four tips to ensure your business keeps running smoothly and YOU get some much-needed rejuvenation. Let’s dive right in so you can start planning your vacation today!

 

1: Step Some Agents Up to Leadership

If you ever doubted your decision to start a team, now is the time you can laugh at your old self as you head towards the beach.

Even if your entire team is rock solid, you probably have those one or two people who you trust a little more than the others – your go-to person or people. Now you get to show a little bit of extra trust by passing off the reins and letting them run the show in your absence.

By letting one of your workers step into this temporary leadership position, you motivate them to work harder, run a tight ship, and demonstrate their greatest potential. If they do well on this “test run,” it may be their opportunity to take on a permanently bigger role as your business expands.

If you can’t pick just one, or don’t necessarily trust a single person to manage the office, split the responsibility between two. You can do this evenly by dividing the team into groups or allowing them to each handle different aspects of the business.

Have your team direct all questions to these people in your absence.

 

2: Create a Sales Competition

If you know me, you know there’s never a bad time for a sales competition. Find a prize that’s truly valuable, even if it’s not very expensive. It could be as simple as buying the winner’s lunch for a week or as grand as paid time off.

A great idea is to offer your team something in the way of self-improvement, such as paying for a training or certification of the winner’s choice. Perhaps even sending them to Success Summit???

But if you don’t want to put a ton of thinking into this, nothing motivates harder than cold hard cash. Offer a fat bonus for most appointments set, listings taken, or transactions closed while you’re out of the office… and maybe even extend it for a few weeks after you’re back.

Going back to splitting the office into teams – this is yet another way to keep people motivated and engaged. Newer or less experienced agents may be less motived by competitions because they won’t hold up to their peers, so give them that extra accountability to their team. This will encourage them to assist and, in a way, even train each other.

 

3: Make an Accountability System

It’s human nature… when the boss is away, the rest of the team might be tempted to slack off a bit. A strong leader like yourself understands this, but how do you overcome it without making your agents and staff feel like they’re being micromanaged?

The answer is to add accountability. Establish accountability partners or groups within your team to report to each other while you’re away.

Maybe it’s a quick 5-minute stand-up meeting at the beginning and/or end of each day. Everyone can announce their goals for the day and which goals they accomplished from the previous day.

If you’re in the practice of having coaches come in to lead trainings (which you should be), don’t let that stop in your absence. Make sure that your trainers are still coming by the check on the shape of things and reporting with your office managers.

 

4: Set Aside Time to Check In

I’m not saying every day. You need to set boundaries if you’re ever going to get the relaxation you desperately require.  Remember that this vacation IS a part of your work because it’s fundamental to your mindset, your life, and how you’re going to be for the next few months.

But maybe, just maybe, you should give your office managers a small timeframe during which it is alright to call – not text; that takes too long and you want this to be over with quick – between like 4 and 4:30PM every three days. This time will allow you to ease your mind and show your agents that you haven’t abandoned them, but it’s short enough that you won’t get sucked into work.

Let your office managers know that outside of this timeframe, the only excuse to call would be an actual fire.

 

5. Get an Agent Friend You Trust Involved

Yes, inventory is low and it’s a war out there, but regardless, we all need friends. My coaching clients are some of the most successful in the business, and do you know why? Because we have an entire ecosystem behind us!

We recognize that we’re a part of the same community and no one comes up alone. Reach out to another team leader who you like and trust and ask if they’d be willing to give your agents a little assistance if they need it while you’re gone. Then when they go on vacation, you’ll be happy to return the favor.

 

6. Trust Them

You hired these people because they’re talented. You continue to employ them because you believe in them. So don’t just trust them silently to yourself – show it! Tell them that you have faith in them and show them that you’re not nervous about putting them in the driver’s seat.

It’s time to be excited about vacation, not stressing about setting up for success. This is a happy, proud moment for you. Someday your agents may even have teams of their own.

Your babies are growing up…