I know. The suggestion of daily meetings met with some pushback. If you rolled your eyes at it, I wouldn’t blame you. You are busy, and this is another block in your hectic diary.
In the trades and construction industry, teams must stay on the same page. Errors can be costly, not just in revenue but also in accidents and damaged relationships with clients and employees.
You want your team to feel heard and empowered on the positive side. You want to encourage conversations about improving the way you work and growth opportunities.
When everyone is on the same page, you work collaboratively towards the same goal. Trust me, and if you can do this, it will be a much smoother and faster ride than the alternative!
So how do we balance efficiency with solid communication? Well, here’s a straightforward idea that can boost the leverage and productivity of your team WHILE saving time.
The meeting you wished you‘d had as an employee
We all know what it’s like to sit in a meeting for three hours, only to get back to our desks and wonder if there are any valuable decisions made. It’s hardly a recipe for productivity, but we see it regularly. That’s why we suggest the daily seven-minute meeting. Fast, efficient, and productive!
You probably waste more than that time daily hand-holding your team and putting out their fires, so take control of the situation.
The seven-minute meeting (or the seven-minute huddle, as we also like to call it) involves asking each person to answer these three questions in seven words or less:
- What did you achieve yesterday?
- What are you focused on achieving today?
- How are you going to do that better tomorrow?
You can also alternate those questions (to avoid monotony) each day with:
- . What is working?
- What is not working?
- What are we doing about it?
Why the daily meeting works so well
In seven minutes, you can understand if somebody is stuck and needs assistance or if there are opportunities for you to explore.
It is a beneficial formula for ensuring that you are in touch with your team and that everybody feels valued and involved.
If something comes out of a pressing seven-minute meeting that needs to take further, finish the huddle and set a separate follow-up meeting that only requires the attendance of those directly involved.
Top Tips For Your Daily Huddles:
- Make sure everyone is clear about their outcomes each day.
- Keep it moving – don’t let the meeting overtake by one person or issue.
- Be consistent – Commit to a meeting every day, preferably at the same time.
- Ask for your teams’ feedback about the new meeting structure – do they need additional support that you can implement elsewhere?
It’s a short and simple idea, but you’ll be surprised how big a difference is having these daily meetings will make in your business. Each team member will begin stepping up their game, and you will have much better clarity over all the moving parts of your business.
Commit today to creating a new habit and implementing daily seven-minute meetings. I’d love to hear feedback from you about the improvement you see in your team’s performance and productivity.
