Photo courtesy of Dr. Lisa M. Greene, who is seen here (farthest left as you look at photo) in Tampa, Florida, at one of her practice’s staff leadership retreats including her office manager, Gina Dotson, practice administrator, Jury Nicholson, and practice partner Dr. Sid Morse.
Creating powerful offsite leadership retreats
By Lisa M. Greene, OD
July 9, 2025
When our leadership team closes the office for a weekend each January, it’s not a vacation. It’s the single most impactful investment we make all year: our annual staff leadership retreat.
Here is how this annual offsite meeting transforms time away from the office and our routine duties into a sharper team focus, stronger culture, better patient care and measurable financial gains.
Setting the Stage: A Deep Dive on Production, Team and Facilities
Each retreat begins with a full-day audit of where we stand on production numbers, staffing, equipment and our physical space. Because we’re offsite, the longer blocks of uninterrupted time let us drill down into root causes rather than skim the surface.
By day’s end we’ve reviewed last year’s results, identified headcount and budget needs for the year ahead and sketched out strategies to boost exam volume and community visibility. Having this information is especially important since our recent office move four years ago.
We need to know for sure that we are generating the profitability needed to achieve a good return on investment in our new office space.
Who’s at the Table—and Why It Matters
Our annual offsite leadership retreat is held in addition to our weekly leadership meetings.
Our core leadership trio meets every Monday at 7 a.m. My practice partner, Sid Morse, OD, our practice administrator and I gather to discuss what is needed to keep the practice running.
But the annual retreat adds the perspective of Adam Greene, OD, who works three days in our office, and, next year, we plan to include office departmental heads.
Bringing more voices is helping prepare our administrator, Jury Nicholson, to scale back to part-time, empowers team leads to cast the vision, and ultimately lightens my plate.
Retreat Activities That Build Trust (and Fun)
We have almost a full day of meetings but we pepper in relaxed dinners for candid conversation, sunrise walks around our hotel or a round of mini-golf for a lighthearted team-building challenge.
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These moments of play cement relationships, making those tough budgeting and staffing conversations flow more naturally.
Turning Ideas into Practice Improvements
On one retreat, we reimagined our contact-lens workflow. Previously, patients checked out twice—once for lenses, once for frames. We moved lens sales into the optical area and, despite initial fears, saw zero drop in contact-lens revenue.
Our optical staff embraced pricing and rebate presentations, creating a seamless patient experience that directly feeds both satisfaction and sales.
Location, Location, Location: From Tampa to El Salvador to Death Valley
Our first two retreats in Tampa looked promising—except for unexpected cold fronts! Year three, we built a home in El Salvador, fed people experiencing homelessness and held meetings on the bus, blending mission work with strategy.
This year, we aligned our retreat with the GRT Summit in Death Valley because their outdoor-leadership ethos mirrors ours, and because a little bucket-list adventure never hurts. We plan to attend more GRT summit meetings that align with the Dec/Jan time frame! It was great to collaborate with other doctors.
Making Every Dollar Count: Retreat ROI
We budget about $4,000-$5,000 per retreat (airfare, lodging, meals, activities). With improved efficiencies, streamlined processes and tighter team alignment, we recoup that investment easily within months.
When leadership speaks with one voice, our entire staff moves in sync—and that unified approach drives our vision forward.
Best Practices for a Productive Retreat
• Start with a “parking lot” of topics weeks in advance—if it’s in the list, it gets discussed.
• Mix formal sessions with informal walks or dinners to foster real connection.
• Lean on seasoned mentors—Dr. Mike Rothschild’s Leadership OD framework and our administrator’s corporate-chain insights have been game-changers.
Looking Ahead: What We’re Refining for Next Year
We’re debating moving the retreat to December, so we can begin the year with fresh momentum. And our April team-culture retreat could use more goal-setting to keep us on track financially. Little tweaks like these—from timing to agenda—help us stay ahead of the curve.
Final Thoughts: Small Spend, Big Results
Closing the office for a day or two can feel like lost revenue, but just as one conference takeaway can transform your exam-chair approach, a well-run leadership retreat will pay dividends in patient experience, team morale and the bottom line.
For our practice, those $4,000-$5,000 weekends have become the linchpin of predictable growth—and that’s why we’ll keep investing in them, year after year.
Read more staff management articles in Review of Optometric Business
Lisa M. Greene, OD, is a partner with Asheville Vision & Wellness in Arden, North Carolina. To contact her: lisamgreeneod@ashevillevisionandwellness.com
