Announcing 2024 AEC Leadership Retreat
Attendees from the Spring 2024 Best Practice Roundtables
When: Sunday, September 29 - Friday, October 4, 2024.
Where: Lake Swan Camp. 647 State Road 26, Melrose, FL 32666
Travel: Nearest airport is Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) in Gainesville, Florida.
Extras: This is a family friendly (and alcohol free) event with counselor lead activities for the little ones ages K-5 during the day.
Register: Register via Google Forms.
Pricing is $1899 and includes all accommodations, meals, sessions and activities. Limited to 40 attendees!
Sign Up for Leadership Retreat Updates!
Who Should Attend?
The AEC Leadership Retreat is for people who manage teams, projects and technology. We're decision makers who want to improve soft skills, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
Why Focus On AEC?
High Stress <> Low Control is a frequent experience when leading teams that design, engineer and construct buildings and other infrastructure. Deadlines are tight, reputations at risk, and budgets are on the line. Answers are easy, attitude is hard, and the "features" we develop managing Technology often become "bugs" when leading Teams.
Stresses lead to more stresses and the flight / fight / freeze reaction compounds. How do we step back, acknowledge the stress, take a moment to listen, empathize, and prepare an acknowledged response? When we stop racing from decision to decision. We'll learn to slow down in order to Reflect, Respect, Respond, and build Resilience.
Our Experience
We believe good leaders are mentally prepared, emotionally present and socially attuned. We'll work on all three through thoughtful leadership sessions, physical activity and nutritious meals. This year's facilitators include:
Randy Benn / Director, International Coaching Federation / Leadership
Phil Read / CEO, ReadThomas / Founder, AEC Leadership Retreat
Charles Semail / President, Chef Charles Catering / Retreat Catering
Where We Meet
The AEC Leadership Retreat is an "Unconference". We aren't going to be trapped in hotel conference rooms either. No lanyards. No PowerPoint. No marketing and sales pitches. No flashing lights, loud music, and no alcohol. Earth, water, wind and sun. Campfires and crickets. T-shirts, shorts and tennis shoes are perfectly fine. We're getting back to basics surrounded by nature.
Lake Swan Camp in Melrose, Florida is rustic, honest, and welcoming. Everyone has their own cabin or motel style room. Yes, there's air-conditioning and wifi. :) The camp borders a clear, spring-fed lake with a clean sandy bottom. Fall weather is pleasant for outdoor activities, quiet walks and group discussions. The lake is warm enough to swim, fish, paddle board and relax before dinner. Expect highs in the low-80s and evening lows in mid-60s.
If you're looking for something a little more exciting, this is the perfect location to learn how to e-foil during afternoon breaks! Expect your industry peers to watch, laugh, and cheer (and take photos) every time you wipe out. :) Just ask Brian Mackey!
Overall Schedule
We won't be stuck indoors. Expect the daily sessions and discussions to move from indoor to outdoor throughout the day. Take notes and capture ideas using pen, paper and journals. Evening fireside discussions allow everyone to reflect and share what's been learned. It might seem like a long day - but we're not rushing from session to session. Each day is well-paced, yet relaxed.
Daily Schedule
Sunday: Arrive Afternoon. If you need to arrive earlier let us know!
Monday: Offsite Team Building at Ichetucknee Springs State Park.
Tuesday - Thursday: Discussions at 9am, 10.30am and 1pm. Open afternoons. 7pm wrap-up.
Friday: Depart After Breakfast.
Professional Leadership Coaching
We'll learn to lead ourselves and in doing so become better leaders of others. With formal training and experience in Law, Psychology and Leadership Randy Benn serves as our retreat coach. Developing Resilience and showing up as the best versions prepares us to become better leaders via sessions that focus on key themes such as:
Interwoven with the above key themes are the practical aspects of good team building and leadership. Register via Google Forms and be sure to select your interests from the suggested list of topics (below). Other topic suggest are also welcome:
Effective Feedback
Managing Up
Executive Presence
Managing Teams and Building Trust
Negotiating Hostile and Toxic Workplaces
Mentoring
Difficult and Crucial Conversations
Adaptive Leadership
Time Management
Saying “No” and Dealing with Burn-out
Dealing with the Inner Critic and Imposter Syndrome
Leading Effective Meetings
Not all classrooms have walls. Morning and evening discussions create useful bookends for open afternoons that allow for quiet reflection, personal discovery, and thoughtful discussions with industry peers. Meet down by the lake, go for a walk, or take a canoe or paddle board out for a peaceful paddle around Lake Rosa. Bring your pen and journal to capture important discoveries.
Chef Charles Semail
In Service of Others
Wonderful meals, exquisitely prepared. Of course there's vegetarian and other options. Chef Charles Semail joyfully returns to cater this year's event! With over 40 years culinary experience, Charles expects us to be pleasantly surprised at each gathering. Here's a video introducing Chef Charles ahead of last year's event. Curious? Here's last year's menu!
Meals are served family style ("please pass the potatoes" :) amid group seating that creates the opportunity for relaxed conversation. As someone remarked, "We're eating Instagramable meals on camp plates!
Offsite Team Building
We'll kick off Monday with a one day, offsite activity at Ichetucknee Springs State Park. There's two options:
Paddle board or kayak for 3 miles (2 hours) on a calm, clear, and cool spring fed river.
Hike and swim on miles of shaded, flat and well marked trails. Bring your camera!
Will arrive at Ichetucknee Springs State Park late morning and depart from the North End Launch for hiking and paddling. Then we'll meet back for lunch followed by an afternoon of informal discussions, hiking, and swimming. Return to Lake Swan Camp mid-afternoon.
Next Steps...Register Today!
This year's AEC Leadership retreat is capped at 36 attendees. 10 attendees have already registered and only 30 spots remain open!
When: Sunday, September 29 - Friday, October 4, 2024.
Where: Lake Swan Camp in Melrose, Florida.
Travel: Nearest airport is Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) in Gainesville, Florida.
Extras: This is a family friendly (and alcohol free) event with counselor lead activities for the little ones ages K-5 during the day.
Pricing is $1899 and includes all accommodations, meals, sessions and activities. Limited to 40 attendees!
Don’t forget to Sign Up for Leadership Retreat Updates!
Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
Kind regards -
Phil Read - CEO Read | Thomas / phil@readthomas.com