What’s in this for you?

Remember the Paul Newman movie, Cool Hand Luke? One of the memorable lines in this movie is “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”

The Daily Huddle is designed for situations that require close communication, usually on a regular or recurring basis. For example, it is useful in coordinating many activities between sales and purchasing, sales and operations, and sales and accounting. There are countless other applications.

The Daily Huddle focuses on the goals for the upcoming period (whether today or this week). It also includes a clear understanding of the activities required by each attendee of the meeting, and an agreement on the date for completion of these activities. In other words, it includes Action Steps.

The Daily Huddle often works best in the morning, when the day is about to start, but this may not be the case for your situation. You may choose to use it daily or even only once a week, depending upon the circumstances. If you want to call it the Weekly Huddle, that’s just fine.

One last thing. We like to start the Daily Huddle on a positive note, because we think that positive affirmation brings a sense of high morale and accomplishment.

So, when you hold this Huddle, let everyone take one minute to discuss the “Team Wins” that have occurred since the last huddle. Bathe yourselves in good news, and focus on replicating it.

So, here’s the agenda for your Daily Huddle:

- What were our wins for the last period?

- What are our goals for the upcoming period?

- What are the action steps we’ll complete to achieve those goals?