Reflecting on Growth: JJCA’s Annual Retreat

Taking a step back to evaluate how we work and grow isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential. At this year’s JJCA retreat, leaders, emerging leaders, and the entire team came together to examine business practices, foster professional growth, and ultimately enhance how we serve our clients. The results? Time well spent.

The retreat started with focused sessions for the leadership team and emerging leaders, followed by a day dedicated to the JJCA team. A major highlight was the deep dive into StrengthsFinder results. For some, it was a refreshing revisit; for others, it brought entirely new insights.

Understanding how each team member’s strengths complement others was enlightening and empowering. As David Johnson shared, “This retreat wasn’t just about identifying strengths—it was about transforming how we use them to build stronger teams and serve our clients better.”

In tandem with the Strengths discussions, the team re-evaluated roles within the firm. The leadership refreshed a decade-old structure to align with current needs and client-centric goals. Stephanie Pielich noted, “Just like the roles themselves, this process wasn’t about hierarchy or titles—it was about making sure every role contributes to the best possible outcomes for the client and getting input from the current team.” The updates emphasized clarity and teamwork, ensuring that every project role is intentional and contributes to delivering exceptional results.

The retreat also reinforced JJCA’s commitment to agility, the guiding theme for the year. When the meeting space posed unexpected challenges, the team adapted with creativity and resolve, proving flexibility is more than a theme—it’s a strength. When the facility struggled with a water problem, the coffee maker didn’t work.  So, “We found out we could talk about strengths without coffee,” joked David, highlighting the camaraderie and adaptability that define our team.

Taking the time to pause and reflect made it clear: growth is a continuous journey. This retreat laid the groundwork for future progress and inspired us to keep listening, improving, and delivering exceptional client experiences.

Stay tuned as we delve deeper into specific insights from the retreat in upcoming posts!