Wouldn’t that be great? It seems that we spend more time meeting than doing. Those long drawn out meetings where little gets done except covering our behinds — it’s like musical chairs for ownership and accountability.

I recommend clients implement the concept of “Huddles” vs. Meetings. My definition of a Huddle is a short gathering prior to taking action to ensure that everyone is clear on their roles and responsibilities.

Successful Huddles are defined as follows;

• They are short – 5 to 15 minutes maximum
• They focus on immediate action
• They provide clarity on responsibilities
• They clarify and re-enforce desired behaviour

The term is borrowed from Football, however, teams in most sports call a time-out late in a game to make sure assignments are clear and to fine-tune a specific strategy. The work environment is no different.

A short Huddle before a shift starts gives the supervisor/coach the opportunity to cover a few critical items.

1. Is there anything new we should be aware of since our last shift. Examples might include; product news, problems with support (i.e. technology, product, etc.), recent news about our firm, any issues that arose since last shift.
2. Confirm goals or objectives. How are we doing against team goals, did we have a great previous shift or do we need to bear down to catch up?
3. What are the priorities for the shift? Has it changed from your last shift?
4. Recognize people/behaviours that are achieving desired results?
5. Quick status on key projects so everyone knows what needs to get done and/or where someone needs help.

These topics can all be covered quickly at the beginning of each work session in a few short minutes. It provides a focus for the team and ensures everyone is working together towards the same objectives.

My Perspective: Based on your particular business you can develop a short checklist of items to cover, but ensure that they are short, action-oriented and to the point.

When everyone knows where they are going and is clear on their role, the team will achieve greater results.