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Why Football's Huddle Is So Important Now

Before the pandemic, my organization, like yours, had a rhythm, a cadence. We had a set of routines that were a big part of our work habits. Management reviews, product updates, sales pipeline reviews, board meetings and so on. All of these were quite predictable. The aim of each was clear: align, review and plan as necessary. As of the second week in March, we’re all dealing with a new rhythm that’s a lot different than before COVID-19. And not at all predictable. Let me share with you some things happening at the company I lead. Perhaps they can be applied to yours.

By: Gal Rimon, Founder & CEO, Centrical

Why Football's Huddle Is So Important Now

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Before the pandemic, my organization, like yours, had a rhythm, a cadence. We had a set of routines that were a big part of our work habits. Management reviews, product updates, sales pipeline reviews, board meetings and so on. All of these were quite predictable. The aim of each was clear: align, review and plan as necessary.

As of the second week in March, we’re all dealing with a new rhythm that’s a lot different than before COVID-19. And not at all predictable. Let me share with you some things happening at the company I lead. Perhaps they can be applied to yours.

To begin with, those meetings. They’re happening with greater frequency. It’s a quick cadence — about five times the pre-pandemic meeting pace. But they’re taking far less time; they last no more than 15 minutes. And while I’m not much a fan of American football, I do believe those 15-minute sessions are the business equivalent of calling huddles. They are brief pauses in our work to make certain each team member knows the play and what our individual assignments are. Once there’s alignment, we’re ready to execute our play and make the next move.

There’s ample reason for taking this “huddle up” approach, especially now. In any time of uncertainty, it is difficult to predict more than a few moves ahead, let alone the results of those actions. That’s why I would encourage your business to take a similar approach.

Frequent short meetings will allow you to examine where you are so you can adjust to mistakes rapidly and succeed. Furthermore, you can sync up on new information to see if there’s alignment and ensure the focus is on what truly matters. Then you can quickly decide if more time and effort need to be invested to “get the win.”

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