Based on How to Run an Effective Team Huddle by Alina Vrabie.
Each company is ran a little differently. Their goals are different, their schedules are different and they in general just operate differently. Although, the one thing every business can benefit from is a morning meeting or “team huddle”.
Starting your team’s morning on a good foot will set them up for success for the rest of the day. Your goal during this meeting is to check in with your team members. This is a time to prep for the day and touch base on this week’s projects. Developing communication like this will not only keep you informed as the owner but also keep your team members accountable.
One. Meeting Logistics
There are some simple factors that go into developing a good team meeting. First, keep meetings short and sweet. Why? Time is money and long meetings with whole companies typically are a waste of time in this setting. Try keeping meetings standing up. Standing up keeps the team focused and it insinuates a quicker meeting. There is no reason to draw out meetings. This time should serve to communicate updates and schedules for jobs. You’re not there to solve problems, just keep everyone in the loop. Keep conversation short and to the point, 15 min or less is ideal. Develop consistency in your time, place and standards within the meeting. Employees should understand they are on the clock starting the beginning of the meeting. They need to be sharp and contribute to that time. Mornings are typically a great time to hold a meeting because it starts a more successful day.
Two. Effective Conversation
Second, is to control the conversation. Keep in mind that time is money, although everyone should say something during the meeting. Everyone is working on a project so they have something to report. If you own a bigger company, at least have every team or someone from each project should give a report. Whether it’s good, bad or ugly; everyone should have something to say. The meeting is not just for reporting to the team leader, this is also a time for staff to communicate with each other. Making sure the team is all on the same page will make jobs get done faster and more successfully.
Third. Finding the Conversation
Third, talking about the right things is the only way to have a productive meeting.
- What materials do you need?
- Is the homeowner happy?
- Did the homeowner add anything to the project?
- When will you be finished?
- Did the weather effect your completion date?
- What did you accomplish yesterday/last week?
- Top 3 priorities for the day/week.
- Review your company’s or your team’s top 3 metrics.
- Share roadblocks that you need help in (but team members should help after the huddle, not during!)
- Recognize other team member accomplishments.
- Share personal project wins.
- Client updates.
Questions like these will give everyone a better understanding of the projects status. Not all questions need to be addressed, just ones that will get everyone on the same page.
Four. Lively Meetings
Fourth, keep your meetings interesting, on point and lively. These are three hard attributes to obtain at once. Stay focused and keep conversation on point but let the team interact and have a little fun with it. Try bringing donuts or bagels in once in while to make it something they look forward to. Also, change it up once in awhile. Keep the conversation fresh and push the boundaries to explore what you can be doing better.
Five. No Problem Solving
Fifth, DON”T TRY TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. It is fine to bring up struggles the team is having and make time to address them in another meeting. What you don’t want to do is take up everyone else’s time trying to figure out your problem. These short meetings are not places for long discussions and debate. As an owner, and the moderator for the meeting, you should intervene if reports start to turn into discussions.
Start you morning meetings now. Already having them? Try implementing these five crucial aspects of a successful morning huddle. Proper communication leads to better, more effective business.
