The Great Huddle: A Meaningful Meeting
Another day, another meeting on my schedule! How much time do we waste in meetings each week? I don’t even want to think about it. Let’s take a look at a new way of running meetings that is actually effective and productive!
Jack Stack wrote a fabulous book called The Great Game of Business. In that book, he introduces us to something called The Great Huddle.
What is a “Great Huddle?” It’s a staff meeting! But it’s not your normal, run of the mill type of staff meeting. Instead, it’s a meaningful meeting where your team will realign themselves to your vision, mission, and values.
In the meeting, each staff member has an opportunity to speak so that everyone gets to know each other on a deeper level, knowing what everyone is working on, and what their own priorities are.
Following the initial round-robin, you or a member of your executive team will give a leadership briefing which includes the specific things you and your team are working on and the reasons behind it. You’ll share critical financial numbers with your team so that everyone is more in tune with the state of your company (for better or for worse). And you’ll give an update on where your company stands relative to your goals.
Next, someone will give a brief “lesson in leadership” or will provide refresher “standard operating procedure” training to your team. And finally, you’ll cap off this meeting with some public recognition to highlight superior achievement from within your ranks.
With a meeting structure like The Great Huddle, meetings are more meaningful, convey more useful information, and bring people together ensuring each person is aligned with the company’s vision and goals. Engagement soars as people feel much more connected to each other and to the company.
Try it. If you’d like help structuring a meeting using this approach, please shoot me a message at my email. I’d love to help your team implement some Great Huddles!
