In Verne Harnish's book, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits, he states that successful businesses have daily meetings for 5-15 minutes, which he calls “huddles.”
Harnish establishes the point that by having these huddles, you can actually save time because you are focusing on what is happening that day. There are only three questions covered at this meeting, and they are the same each day:
- What is up for the day?
- What are the daily measures?
- Where are you stuck?
Since we work in a medical office, the questions might translate into:
- What does the schedule look like?
- How can we best prepare for the patients who are coming in?
- Is anyone having a particular work problem they need help resolving?
By asking these three questions daily, we can prepare and resolve many problems we face during the day that would otherwise take more time away from being productive.
It is also a good practice to have a short huddle at the end of the day to measure how the day went and gather ideas for better outcomes if there were any issues that came up during the day (while they are still fresh in everyone's mind).
You may think you do not have time for more meetings, but remember, this is a “huddle” - it is grouping those who work together to review what will be taking place that day.
When everyone is on the same page and identifying how they can resolve any issues before they arise, it makes for a more productive, less stressful day.
When you think of it that way, how can you afford to not take a few minutes each morning to meet? Offices that do have morning huddles experience fewer problems and require fewer meetings to solve them.
"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort." ~ Paul J. Meyer
