Streamlining Communication- Team Huddles
There is no doubt that a simple team huddle can make your business better and improve communication across the board. Leaders participate, but they don't run the show. Giving everyone a voice and chance to discuss and collaborate creates a thriving team environment and it serves several purposes:
Reinforce core values and mission. Regular peer to peer discussions centered around the core values and mission of the company really gives team members a sense of purpose and direction. Teams that have a clear direction achieve more and it also directly translates to client success and performance.
Make everyone feel heard. Making the leader of the meeting a new person each week gives everyone a sense of ownership and allows them to vocalize what is going on in their department. When everyone gets to speak, everyone feels valued and is more committed to overall success.
Briefly review ongoing projects. The goal of the call is not to plan or access projects, that's what other meetings and 1 on 1 calls are for. Schedule other meetings or calls if timely issues arise.
Give and receive help. Gain your team's perspective. What's going well? What's not going well? What can we do to support one another?
Confront the squiggly items under the rock. As Jim Collins phrases it in his book Good to Great, you need to confront the brutal facts in order to make a series of good business decisions. He quotes Fred Purdue, an executive from Pitney Bowes: “When you turn over rocks and look at all the squiggly things underneath, you can either put the rock down, or you can say, ‘My job is to turn over rocks and look at the squiggly things,’ even if what you see can scare the hell out of you.” So ask the tough questions!
Building a regular huddle ritual will help make your team more effective by getting your team to vocalize wins, discuss issues, brainstorm solutions, and address old or new business. It also gives everyone a chance to know what’s keeping everyone busy and should add depth beyond what your project management tool is giving you.
Extra tip: If you start off with everyone sharing a positive beginning, it really sets a good tone for the meeting!
