allisyn levy's List: meetings

• each fires off a brief synopsis of the items on his or her frontmost burner.
• Ten minutes later all are back in the office armed with the information necessary to barrel efficiently through their days.
• daily micromeetings
• "check-ins"
• a way to keep everyone moving in sync.
• huddles got a boost in the small-business community from Verne Harnish, who proclaimed them a must-do for growth companies in his 2002 book Mastering the Rockefeller Habits.
• Short daily meetings, in Harnish's view, keep companies focused on the same strategic goals, ensure timely answers to pressing questions, and enforce accountability because everyone knows what everyone else is up to.
• last no more than 15 minutes.
• start on time
• problem solving is forbidden.
• endlessly customizable. Some companies huddle first thing in the morning; others right before lunch. Some invite a handful of top leaders; others the entire staff. Some follow a formula; others make it up every time.
• Death by Meetings.
• Daily check-ins help you build a culture of unity and sustain it as you grow."
• started the meetings two years ago to improve communication
• people had put up silos,
• There wasn't a lot of trust and respect between them as peers. Things were going wrong solely because people didn't talk to each other."
• teamwork improved greatly once information-sharing became routine.
• identify micromanagers and nip their do-it-myself propensities.
• weeded out executives who didn't communicate openly with their peers;
• No one notifies participants that the meeting is starting. Regular, prompt attendance is "another cultural flusher," says Kan. "If someone consistently doesn't show up, the group sees him as not wanting to be part of the process."
• Huddle Hint:
• establish priorities and coordinate its efforts.
• Everyone on staff
• quickly review information on new jobs
• adjust their schedules to focus on the most important accounts of the moment.
• organizes both individuals and the organization
• the meetings dispatch nitty-gritty issues that once bogged down weekly strategy meetings, allowing Halasnik to reserve those hourlong gatherings for big issues.
• replicate the culture of efficiency he had observed in other businesses that huddle
• Everyone in the office--from 20 to 40 people, depending on who is traveling--presents his day's top priority in eight to 15 seconds. "Just the act of verbalizing 'This is the thing I must get done today' focuses people and increases productivity
• once they've said it, people stick to what they've said.
• Employees also mention appointments--at the dentist or their kids' school--so those needing to talk with them can arrange their own schedules accordingly.
• whip-fast swapping of data cuts down on inefficient one-to-one conversations and e-mail strings during the day
• great equalizers because everyone from the receptionist to the CEO is in that room."
• maintaining a "tighter, unified culture
• seven-minute, all-standing meetings
• Each meeting begins with good news about the company or an individual, and ends with a cheer for the contributions of one employee.
• feel part of a larger whole.
• Twenty employees--mostly rank-and-filers--trained as "huddle masters" take turns leading the sessions.
• Huddle Hint
• started huddling about five years ago to attempt to keep everyone focused on critical long-term issues
• CEO meets with five of his top managers, working off a one-page strategic plan
• In 30 seconds to a minute, each manager states what he will do that day to advance the quarterly and yearly goals, what progress he made the previous day, and what roadblocks he is encountering.
• learns instantly if someone is veering off course or if there's a misunderstanding

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