Is Your Team Constantly Relying on You? A Daily Huddle Might Be the Solution
Let me introduce you to someone we’ll call Jake.
When Jake and I first started working together, he was like the sole air traffic controller of his company—nothing happened unless he gave the go-ahead. Every decision, big or small, had to go through him.
This left him feeling drained and frustrated. His team wasn’t making independent decisions; instead, they would always check with him first. Why? Because, over time, he had unknowingly set up a system where people felt it was safer to ask than to risk making a mistake.
Jake needed a shift in leadership style. Instead of being the centre of every decision, he needed a system that allowed his team to operate efficiently without his constant involvement.
Many people think leadership is all about setting a grand vision. But in reality, strong leadership is about alignment—making sure everyone is on the same page and moving in the same direction.
One powerful way to achieve this is by establishing a team meeting rhythm. This concept is widely recognised in business strategy, and one of the most impactful components is the Daily Huddle.
What Is a Daily Huddle?
A Daily Huddle is a short, focused team meeting (usually 10–15 minutes) that ensures alignment, accountability, and efficiency. It helps teams stay on track without unnecessary interruptions throughout the day.
The meeting typically follows this three-part structure:
- Updates: What’s the latest news? What key numbers (KPIs) should we be tracking? What got done yesterday, and what didn’t?
- Priorities: What needs to be accomplished today?
- Roadblocks: What challenges or bottlenecks need to be addressed?
The Daily Huddle starts with frontline teams and works its way up through management, providing a clear view of the business at every level.
How to Make Daily Huddles Effective
For these meetings to work, they must be specific and focused. A Daily Huddle can quickly lose value if team members give vague answers like, “I’ll just be doing the same as yesterday.”
Instead, encourage detailed responses. Sales teams should outline who they’re calling and what they aim to achieve. Operations teams should highlight key shipments or production targets. This level of clarity ensures that everyone understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture.
Also, keep It consistent. Establish a fixed time and location for the huddle, whether in person or virtually. This consistency reinforces the team meeting rhythm and builds a culture of discipline and accountability.
Why Daily Huddles Matter?
A well-structured daily huddle helps decentralise decision-making and empowers teams to operate more independently. When done correctly, this brief meeting keeps priorities clear and fosters team alignment.
On a more general point, let me explain why we should up the overall talk time in organisations.
Firstly, us humans have a couple of important survival skills. One is pattern recognition, probably the most important cognitive skill connected to success in any field.
The other is hearing. We can hear prey long before we can see, touch, or taste it. Or it tastes us! So, hearing stories, information, and even numbers connects us more deeply to our pattern-recognition capabilities than staring at Excel spreadsheets.
On the other hand, we have a fundamental need to talk out our problems. When we speak, we formalise our thinking and at the same time we tap into the cognitive power in our brain. A meeting with others to talk stuff out is a powerful force in any business.
The Game-Changer
So where is Jake now?
Instead of being tied to his business 24/7, he starts his mornings with an hour at the gym. His phone isn’t constantly buzzing with urgent questions because his team is on track.
He’s gone from working 60+ hours a week to enjoying a balanced life, where he can relax and unwind without worrying about every little detail.
One of the biggest game-changers was implementing the team meeting rhythm, in particular the Daily Huddle.
By introducing this simple yet powerful routine, Jake created a structure where his team could operate smoothly without constant oversight. And that has made all the difference.
Would a Daily Huddle Help Your Team Work More Independently?
If you’re finding yourself as the bottleneck in your business, it might be time to give it a try.
The Team Meeting Rhythm is one of the 21 strategies we use in our coaching programme to build a self-managing company.
If you’d like help with doing the same in your business, I invite you to book a call to discuss business coaching. You can do that here www.TimeWithShane.com
