Why Your Morning Huddle Isn’t Working

A quick Google search of “morning huddle” returns hundreds of articles that preach the benefits of meeting with your team first thing every day. It’s no secret that teams in every industry, from manufacturing to computer software to healthcare, are meeting together each morning because management experts have convinced us it’s worth it.

And I would agree. Done right, a morning huddle is probably the single most effective meeting you can implement to improve the productivity and performance of your team.

Among other things, a routine morning huddle promotes alignment, clarifies priorities, improves communication, and builds teamwork.

But you already knew that.

I won’t bore you with another post on reasons to start a morning huddle, because my guess is that you’re already having them or have been a part of them in the past. Rather, this post is for the production managers, software engineers, dentists, and leaders of any organization who are frustrated by ineffective morning huddles or have given up on them altogether.

We want to help you reclaim your morning huddle by avoiding these three common mistakes.

Mistake #1: Your morning huddle takes too long

The most common mistake you can make is to allow your morning huddle to drag on longer than it should. 99% of morning huddles should only take 5 minutes. With some teams, it may take 10. But if you’re consistently going over 10 minutes, you’re doing it wrong.

Think of it like a football game. After each play, the offense has only 25 seconds from the time the referee spots the ball before they must run the next play. There’s no time to do anything more than communicate the plan.

Morning huddles are kept short by keeping the agenda strictly administrative. It should be a quick roundtable where you share schedules, planned activities, and align on priorities for the day.

When morning huddles spill over into other topics and go longer than intended, they start to feel like a chore, and that’s when people check-out or stop showing up.

Mistake #2: Your morning huddle isn’t focused on today

The morning huddle is a daily tactical meeting. It’s not a weekly strategic meeting.

Strategic meetings take time that you don’t have. The purpose of the morning huddle is to stay laser focused on what is needed from each team member to succeed today.

Again, the best analogy comes from football. In the huddle before the snap, the quarterback calls out the play for that down. The team doesn’t go on to debate what might be the right call for the next play.

Morning huddles shouldn’t feel like a daily staff meeting. Keep the agenda short, simple, and disciplined to what’s needed today.

Mistake #3: Your morning huddle tries to solve problems

This is one of the most insidious traps that will ruin your morning huddle if left unchecked. I say insidious because it’s so easy to fall into. After all, the morning huddle is a great place to bring up concerns that put today’s success at risk. And so the natural temptation is to jump in and try to solve the issue.

But you’re almost guaranteed to violate Mistake #1 when you do. Problem solving takes time that you don’t have time. The morning huddle is not the time to debate, argue, or try to solve problems.

Unless the concern can be resolved with a quick answer from another team member, it’s usually best to defer going into more detail. You can always follow up with the appropriate people after the meeting if the problem requires more attention.

Reclaim your morning meeting

Morning huddles are a fantastic way to add structure and routine to your team’s day. It’s one of the best tools you have available to ensure everybody is on the same page.

Keep your morning huddle under 10 minutes, stay focused on today and avoid the temptation of problem-solving every issue that’s brought up. Do this, and you’ll be well on your way towards a morning huddle that motivates and drives your team forward.