Last week, I found myself standing poolside in Las Vegas wearing an Elvis wig, officiating the vow renewal of one of our Footers team members and her husband.
It was one of the many memorable moments from our annual Footers Family Vacation, a tradition we've continued for the past 10 years. This year, 40 of us traveled to Vegas, dressed up, shared meals, laughed, and made some incredible memories.
Connecting with the Footers Team in Vegas!
As I looked around at everyone enjoying themselves, I was filled with gratitude. I took in the fact that every person there had chosen to be there. They had committed their own time and money to spend a vacation with people they already spend a significant portion of their lives working alongside. That's pretty special and I don’t take it for granted.
One of my favorite parts of these trips is watching the reactions of people we meet along the way. Whether we're at the piano bar, hanging out by the pool, or enjoying dinner, people are genuinely surprised when they learn we're on a company vacation. They are curious about where we are from, what we do, and how this all came to be. And it almost always ends with them asking if we are hiring!
I've also loved watching people connect who don't normally work closely with one another. It's pretty special to see conversations and relationships develop that might never have happened during a typical workday.
We've always believed that the relationships people build at work are incredibly important. When people genuinely enjoy and care about the people they're working with, it changes the experience of coming to work every day. But those relationships don't just happen because we put people on the same team.
As leaders, we have to be intentional about creating opportunities for connection. At Footers, that starts with something as simple as eating lunch together every day. We celebrate milestones, create opportunities to have fun, and look for ways to bring people together across departments. These experiences give people a chance to know one another beyond their job titles.
Part of creating those opportunities is recognizing what might prevent people from participating. This year, we scaled back our vacation to make it more approachable for a wider group of team members. We continue to subsidize a portion of the trip, but everyone makes their own decision about whether to participate.
I certainly don't think every company should organize a vacation. It's a significant investment, and what works for our team may not be right for another. But I do believe every leader should be thinking about how to create more opportunities for people to connect.
You can't force connection, but you can create the conditions that make it possible. And when 40 people choose to spend their vacation together, I'd like to think we're doing something right.
So this week, I encourage you to ask yourself:
What opportunities are you creating for the people on your team to build stronger relationships?
