So, how’s your Daily Huddle meeting going? Over time, it’s easy for this habit to begin feeling a little stale, and you might even start wondering if anyone would miss it if you killed it. They would! And they probably don’t even realize it (so don’t bother polling the team to ask). Instead, be the leader and huddle on! Sometimes the benefits of Daily Huddles are so subtle they go uncelebrated, but the truth is, the habit of huddling daily with your team might be the most valuable 10 minutes of your day.
The next time you feel like it’s an inconvenient interruption or someone tells you they’re too busy to huddle, keep these benefits of the morning huddle in mind.
6 Benefits of the Daily Huddle Meeting
- Reduced Interruptions: Being available at a certain time and place every day for 10 minutes with the team can eliminate multiple interruptions throughout your day. Rather than four people dropping by your office randomly to ask a question, or spending time composing a lengthy email to explain a situation, or scheduling a 30-minute meeting to discuss a 2-minute issue, people can save it for the huddle.
- Streamlined Communication: Instead of repeating the same story six times to six different people, you know you’ll have the attention of the whole team at least every 24 hours. Sure, you can accomplish the same with an email, but some things need to be communicated in person. Do it in the huddle and you’ll know that everyone heard the same thing, the same way, at the same time.
- Corrected misinformation: Your instructions to your team were crystal clear… to you. Everyone nodded and got right to work. But so many times, different people interpret things differently. Every time a team member shares their priorities for the day, you have an opportunity to understand better the details of what they’re doing. This frequent check in will help you catch misunderstandings much quicker.
- Reduced Rework: How many times have you received one last piece of information after you finished a project that caused you to have to redo your work? Knowing what your teammates are working on and when it becomes their top priority causes the whole team to reflect on any information or resource they have that could be helpful to that person. This greatly reduces the chances the information will be received after the project is finished.
- Increased Positive Momentum: Sharing victories from the previous day may seem a little “rah-rah” to some, but never underestimate the power of one piece of good news. Hearing victories, however minor, from teammates can go a long way in lifting the spirits of someone who may be struggling or worried. Please don’t skip this important part of the agenda.
- Improved TeamHealth: It’s easy for people to become so focused on their one piece of the puzzle that they forget they’re part of something bigger. Without the Daily Huddle, certain teammates could go a whole week or even longer without seeing each other. The Daily Huddle keeps the team connected. And no matter how brief the interaction may be, this frequency of face time (or voice time for virtual teams) goes a long way toward maintaining healthy team dynamics.
The Daily Huddle is designed to increase speed and alignment for the whole company. It’s a 10-minute investment that yields a huge ROP (Return on Payroll). And if anyone tells you they’re too busy to huddle, you know you need to huddle more than ever. Keep the meeting short – these daily meetings should never last more than 15 minutes, as the team leader you need to keep it short and sweet. Trust me, the faster things are moving and changing in your company, the more valuable the benefits of team huddles for your organization. So be strong and huddle on.
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