What Leaders Need to Know About Weekly Huddles

Leaders, here’s a question for you: When was the last time you checked in on one of your employees?

It’s not a trick question. I’m asking because, in an increasingly dispersed work environment — with more and more teams including remote employees — it’s more critical than ever for you to be intentional in connecting with your team members.

The concept of the huddle has a surprisingly rich history. It emerged from a practice called Management by Wandering Around — something that may sound aimless or even silly, but in reality is anything but. The best-known proponent of this management style was none other than Steve Jobs, who would often make rounds throughout the Apple offices to answer customer calls, involve himself in customer service e-mails, and just generally keep his finger on the pulse of what was going on.

This may have been random, but it was not purposeless; Jobs used this approach to stay involved with the nitty gritty, everyday stuff his team was doing — not just taking a broad view, but actually rolling up his sleeves and immersing himself in the specifics of what his team was up to. This gave him incomparable leadership perspective, and it’s not surprising that many other leaders have adopted the same philosophy.