You need to make a decision, and you’re feeling stuck. You may have a mental block, or there are too many options, and you need clarity. What are you going to do?
At Tectalic, we say it’s time for a ‘Huddle’. We foster a culture of collaboration, and a Huddle is a spontaneous way to reach out to your team for support.
Asking for help this way is encouraged and respected by the group. Anyone can call a Huddle, and it’s regarded as a strength because it boosts the whole group’s productivity and fosters camaraderie and teamwork.
It is particularly significant when one of our leaders calls a Huddle and shares an issue they’re stuck on. Seeing a senior team member reach out this way sets a powerful example of the strategy’s effectiveness and empowers others to call a Huddle when they feel stuck.
During COVID, we had long-term clients alone in their offices dealing with constantly changing circumstances and frustrated customers. We shared our Huddle strategy and encouraged clients to contact us at critical moments. The Huddle approach worked just as well for our clients as it did for us, providing immediate support, fresh perspectives, and efficient problem-solving.
What are the conditions that foster the Huddle strategy?
A Culture That Values Momentum
Does your workplace culture value maintaining work momentum? What about tasks that get stuck and put in the too-hard basket.? A Huddle can help resolve challenging tasks in an environment where asking for help is seen as a strength and where individual and team success is linked.
Explore Your Options First
Efficient Huddles often start with one team member summarising the problem-solving options they have already tried. The team can skip the most obvious solutions and move on to suggest a variation on a strategy that’s yet to work or move straight into fresh perspectives from creative thinking.
Call Early
It’s part of our work culture that you call a Huddle without delay once you realise you’re stuck. Quick action avoids tasks stalling and becoming urgent later.
Participate With Generosity
Huddles work best in a spirit of helpfulness and information sharing. If you’re already overwhelmed with your current task load, you can request a reschedule or decline the Huddle. It’s understood that if you can’t lean in, don’t go.
Feel The Joy
The positive resolution of a problem using the Huddle strategy is an absolute joy. It is a buzz to experience that teamwork and its positive outcome. There is a lasting spirit of hope and motivation. It affirms that no one is working in isolation, even those off-site.
We also see Huddles bringing big benefits to our clients. Client work moves through our systems efficiently, with problems resolved using the whole team’s experience. Everyone benefits from the momentum that Huddles create.
Now, let’s get back to that job that’s been on your to-do list for days. Is it time for you to call a Huddle? If you are one of our clients, call us, and let’s work on it together.