If you have ever been to a sporting event, you might be familiar with a team huddle or what happens when a team takes a timeout. In a huddle, team members circle up together, not for conversation, but as an opportunity for the leader to clarify expectations, create unity, and cast vision. Huddles are a great idea for any volunteer team, staff team, or even your family as a fantastic tool to rally for a common goal. Let’s take a quick look at three components of a great huddle:
Casting Vision
This is the bedrock of any good huddle. Reminding the team of why they do what they do also reminds the team of the impact of their work. Remembering the why rallies the team around a mission or purpose and keeps them focused and grounded. Vision gives a team substance to grow stronger when times are good and the anchor to stand strong when times get tough.
Marcy McConnell - Host Team Pastor
Clarifying Expectations
When your team gets excited about the why, you must fill in the blanks with the what and the how. Is there a clear, stated win for each role on your team? Does each individual know the tangibles of what they are working toward? Answering these questions can help you create expectations for your team, and when you clearly communicate them, you remove any uncertainty your team may have in regards to the goals. When obstacles are removed, your team is set up to achieve these wins.
Creating Team Unity
Once your team has been compelled by the vision and knows what tangible expectations they are working toward, a natural response is for the team to feel unified. Good communication throughout the team is vital for unity. Team members fill a variety of roles, so they may not be aware of what other parts of the team are doing. Tell stories to illustrate how the team has worked together to achieve a win. Connect them to the why. Once a team is unified, you no longer have team members – you have`bought-in owners.
Imagine all that could be when you have a team completely motivated by the why; they know exactly how to achieve it, and they are glued together by it. That is an unstoppable team!
