Chapter 2:
The Daily Huddle

Gavin runs the first daily huddle, explaining the structure upfront before leading the team through it. Facing initial skepticism, the huddle quickly demonstrates its value when a casual comment provides critical, timely context, highlighting the power of shared intelligence and building early buy-in for the new rhythm.

8:30 Sharp: Setting the Structure

Gavin stood by the whiteboard in the war room as the clock ticked toward 8:30 AM. The simple, four-quadrant diagram he’d drawn on Friday was still the only thing on it, a visual anchor for the work ahead. He felt the familiar knot of pre-meeting tension tighten slightly in his gut. Implementing change—especially the kind that messes with people’s routines—always felt like walking a tightrope. He needed to hold the standard while building buy-in.

He glanced down at the new yellow notebook in his hand and opened to the first page. No entries yet—just the printed headers: Good News, KPIs, Priorities, Blockers. Space for the work between the wins. He hadn’t needed to write anything yet, but holding it grounded him. This wasn’t guesswork.

He smoothed his already neat notes unnecessarily. Okay, Gavin, he thought, quiet breath. Explain the why. Then run the play.

Taylor arrived first, notebook open, pen poised. She offered him a brief, professional nod. Chris came in next, grabbing coffee from the carafe and leaning against the back wall, projecting just enough “prove it” energy to register. Jamie and Sarah followed a moment later, eyes flicking toward Gavin and then toward each other. Nobody sat. That was intentional.

“Alright team, thanks for being prompt,” Gavin began as the clock hit 8:30 exactly. “As we discussed Friday, today kicks off our daily huddle. Let me walk through the structure and why we’re doing this—then we’ll get into it.”

He turned to the whiteboard and picked up a marker, drawing a line from the laptop icon in the Systems quadrant and labeling the new section.

THE DAILY HUDDLE

“This isn’t a status meeting,” Gavin said, underlining the heading. “This is a daily alignment ritual. Ten to fifteen minutes, standing, every weekday. It’s about surfacing blockers early, sharing critical intel, and building momentum together—before the day gets away from us.”
He wrote four points on the board, speaking as he went:

→ Good News

→ KPIs:Current and Forecast

→ Today’s Top Priorities: Max 3

→ Blockers: What’s Stopping Progress

     ♦ Can the Team Help Solve it Now?

     ♦ Is Manager Support Needed?

“Good news helps us start with energy. Most days, professional wins make the most sense—something you booked, progress on a deal—but personal milestones are welcome if they matter. Not filler. Endorphin hit.”

A few smirks. Sarah nodded faintly.

“For KPIs, I want each of you to share one effort metric and one outcome metric. Something you control, and something you’re trying to achieve. Where are you now? Where will you be at month-end? If you’re behind, we talk about it early—no surprises.”

Jamie shifted slightly.

“Next: your top three priorities. What will make today a win? This helps us focus, and it gives you a daily scoreboard. Not vague. Be clear.”

He tapped the last point.

“When a blocker comes up, first question is: can anyone here solve it right now? If not, we escalate. That’s my job—clear the path. But we start with the team.”

He capped the marker. “Any questions on the format?”

Just head shakes and nods. No one looked ready to love it—but no one was outright resisting either.

“Alright then. Taylor, lead us off.”

Running the Play

Taylor nodded, glancing at her notes. “Good news: Budget allocation for Miller Industries phase one finally came through Friday afternoon.”

“Excellent.”

Taylor reported her KPI’s. Gavin noted that the team might need some coaching to determine the their critical numbers.

“Okay. Priorities?”

“Finalizing the Q3 forecast adjustments for Martin’s review tomorrow is top priority.”

“Blockers?”

“No immediate blockers currently.”

“Good start, Taylor. Clear and concise, thank you,” Gavin acknowledged. “Chris?”

Chris took a slow sip of his coffee, his eyes scanning the room before landing on Gavin. “Good news: Got a verbal yes from that Westport prospect who’s been ghosting me for weeks.” He reported his KPI’s . “Priorities: Need to follow up hard on that verbal – still waiting on David Chen, the VP of Ops for the technical confirmation they need.” “Blockers: Blocked on needing the marketing specs for the new integration feature they asked about.” He paused, then added, deadpan, looking directly at Gavin, “So, we doing this little drill every single morning until retirement, or what?”

Gavin met his gaze evenly, refusing to be drawn into a debate. “Every single weekday, Chris,” he confirmed calmly. “I get it, nobody loves meetings for the sake of meetings. But this one? This one’s designed to keep us out of the ditch and build momentum by sharing information quickly. It might feel like a grind at first — soon enough, it’ll feel like progress.” He logged Chris’s resistance mentally – noted, but not derailment. “Okay, I’ll chase marketing on those integration specs immediately after this. Jamie?”

Jamie shifted slightly, pocketing his phone quickly as Gavin looked his way. Right, my turn to check the box, Gavin could almost see the thought flicker across his face. “Uh, good news… cleared my entire outreach list last Friday.” KPIs: “Need more top-of-funnel activity this week, dials were light Friday.” Priorities: “Heavy prospecting calls today.” Blockers: “No blockers… uh, yet.”

“Solid priority, Jamie. Let’s see those dials turn into conversations,” Gavin said neutrally, making another mental note to check in on Jamie’s specific prospecting plan later. “Sarah?”

Sarah consulted her notes, looking slightly stressed but prepared. “Good news: Rescheduled that cancelled demo with Apex Solutions for next week.” KPIs: “My pipeline coverage ratio is looking thin for next quarter.” Priorities: “Really need to get traction with Apex, specifically trying to reach the VP of Engineering, Steven Carter.” Blockers: “I’m blocked there. Emailed him three times, called twice. Complete crickets. Honestly, I’m thinking of moving on, maybe focusing efforts elsewhere.”

Running the Play

Taylor nodded, glancing at her notes. “Good news: Budget allocation for Miller Industries phase one finally came through Friday afternoon.”

“Excellent.”

“KPIs: Pipeline velocity slightly down week-over-week based on my current view.”

“Okay. Priorities?”

“Finalizing the Q3 forecast adjustments for Martin’s review tomorrow is top priority.”

“Blockers?”

“No immediate blockers currently.”

“Good start, Taylor. Clear and concise, thank you,” Gavin acknowledged. “Chris?”

Chris took a slow sip of his coffee, his eyes scanning the room before landing on Gavin. “Good news: Got a verbal yes from that Westport prospect who’s been ghosting me for weeks.” KPIs: “Activity numbers were solid on Friday.” Priorities: “Need to follow up hard on that verbal – still waiting on Chen [David Chen, VP Ops] for the technical confirmation they need.” Blockers: “Blocked on needing the marketing specs for the new integration feature they asked about.” He paused, then added, deadpan, looking directly at Gavin, “So, we doing this little drill every single morning until retirement, or what?”

Gavin met his gaze evenly, refusing to be drawn into a debate. “Every single weekday, Chris,” he confirmed calmly. “I get it, nobody loves meetings for the sake of meetings. But this one? This one’s designed to keep us out of the ditch and build momentum by sharing information quickly. It might feel like a grind at first — soon enough, it’ll feel like progress.” He logged Chris’s resistance mentally – noted, but not derailment. “Okay, I’ll chase marketing on those integration specs immediately after this. Jamie?”

Jamie shifted slightly, pocketing his phone quickly as Gavin looked his way. Right, my turn to check the box, Gavin could almost see the thought flicker across his face. “Uh, good news… cleared my entire outreach list last Friday.” KPIs: “Need more top-of-funnel activity this week, dials were light Friday.” Priorities: “Heavy prospecting calls today.” Blockers: “No blockers… uh, yet.”

“Solid priority, Jamie. Let’s see those dials turn into conversations,” Gavin said neutrally, making another mental note to check in on Jamie’s specific prospecting plan later. “Sarah?”

Sarah consulted her notes, looking slightly stressed but prepared. “Good news: Rescheduled that cancelled demo with Apex Solutions for next week.” KPIs: “My pipeline coverage ratio is looking thin for next quarter.” Priorities: “Really need to get traction with Apex, specifically trying to reach the VP of Engineering, Steven Carter.” Blockers: “I’m blocked there. Emailed him three times, called twice. Complete crickets. Honestly, I’m thinking of moving on, maybe focusing efforts elsewhere.”

Connecting the Dots (The Structure in Action)

Just as Sarah finished articulating her blocker, a flicker of recognition crossed Chris’s face. He pushed himself off the wall slightly, his customary skepticism momentarily forgotten. “Apex… VP of Engineering? You said Steven Carter?”

Sarah blinked, surprised by the sudden interest. “Yeah. Why?”

“Not him directly,” Chris said, the cynicism softening in his voice as he processed the connection himself, “but I literally just got off a call maybe 20 minutes ago with their IT Director, a woman named Maria Rossi.” He glanced around, sharing the insight. “She mentioned Carter is absolutely buried this week rolling out some new mandatory security protocol. Ignoring everything non-critical until at least the end of the week, maybe longer. Sounds like a complete fire drill over there.” Chris’s posture eased slightly, his usual guardedness replaced—briefly—by genuine curiosity about the unexpected link.

Sarah’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Okay… wow, that completely changes things.” She looked genuinely relieved, the stress lines around her eyes softening. “Honestly, if we hadn’t talked this morning, I would’ve written them off as uninterested based on the silence. I was about to archive the lead.”

Gavin let the insight land, seeing the dawning realization on several faces. Okay, it landed. They see it. He pointed subtly back towards the whiteboard structure, specifically the ‘Blockers’ section and the ‘Can the Team Help Solve it Now?’ sub-point.

“Exactly,” he said aloud, gesturing between Chris and Sarah. “This connection right here is precisely why we have this structured huddle, and why we ask about blockers. Sarah, you understandably assumed silence meant disinterest. Chris, simply by sharing context from an unrelated call, you provided the critical piece of information – Team First in action. This stops Sarah from abandoning a potentially key contact and helps her refine her approach entirely. Maybe,” he suggested gently, guiding her next step, “a quick email acknowledging the rollout pressure and offering to connect after things calm down is the right next move, instead of another follow-up call right now.”

He scanned the room. The initial sense of obligation seemed to shift slightly towards grudging acknowledgment, even from Chris, who gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. The value of the structure wasn’t theoretical anymore; it was tangible, immediate.

“Ten minutes into our first structured huddle,” Gavin stated, glancing at the clock, “and the process itself helped us avoid a potential misstep, likely saved a valuable lead from being prematurely disqualified, and uncovered vital intelligence about a prospect’s internal priorities. That’s the power of consistent, structured, transparent communication.”

Putting Insight into Action

As the team filed out promptly at 8:40 AM, Gavin immediately turned to his laptop and fired off a quick, direct message to the head of Marketing: “Morning Liz – need those integration specs Chris requested for Westport ASAP. Blocker for him impacting a key follow-up. Thx.” Demonstrating responsiveness to escalated blockers was as important as demanding participation.

Later that morning, Gavin walked past Sarah’s desk. Instead of seeing her dialing Apex again with growing frustration, she was drafting an email. He caught the subject line: “Following Up – Quick Question re: Security Protocol Impact on Integration.” He saw her pause for a fraction of a second, perhaps wondering if referencing internal knowledge was too obvious, then mentally shake it off and continue typing with renewed purpose.

He overheard her murmur to herself, “Okay, acknowledge the pressure… reference Maria’s insight without throwing her under the bus… pivot gently to how this might help after the rollout…” She was adapting her strategy based directly on the shared intelligence surfaced through the huddle structure.

Coaching Session Reflection

Gavin knew the habit would be fragile at first. After returning to his desk, he logged the small victories and where early cracks were already showing.

What Went Well:

• Structure landed: Team followed the 4 points relatively easily after explanation.
• Immediate value demonstrated: The Chris -> Sarah connection on Apex was perfect timing. Huge credibility boost for the process, surfaced organically. Saw the lightbulb go on for several reps, even Chris seemed less resistant after.
• Conciseness generally okay: Most kept updates brief, meeting finished on time (10 mins).

What Didn’t Go Well / Opportunities:

• Initial uncertainty: Jamie & Sarah looked hesitant until the flow started. Need to reinforce safety/routine.
• KPIs vague: Some KPI updates lacked specifics (Jamie’s “dials light”). Need to coach on bringing data/trends.
• Chris’s skepticism: While softened, need to keep monitoring engagement, ensure it doesn’t become disruptive.

Action Items:

• Reinforce consistency: Emphasize showing up prepared every day.
• Follow-up on my actions publicly: Confirm I chased marketing specs for Chris to show manager accountability.
• Coach 1:1 on KPI specificity (Jamie).
• Explicitly call back to the Apex win in next huddle or 1:1s to reinforce the ‘why’.

The Debrief: Small Adjustment, Big Difference

Near the end of the day, Gavin stopped by Sarah’s desk again for a quick check-in. “Any movement with Apex after the revised approach this morning?”

Sarah looked up, a genuine smile replacing her earlier stress. “Actually, yes! Sent that revised email acknowledging the security rollout chaos. Carter himself replied within an hour.” She held up her phone briefly. “No meeting booked yet, but he said, and I quote, ‘Good context, appreciate the understanding. Let’s connect next week once this phase is calmer.’ It’s the first direct reply I’ve gotten from him.”

“See?” Gavin said quietly, keeping his tone encouraging but low-key. “You reframed your approach based on validated context surfaced right here in our huddle. You acknowledged his reality, not just your own need for a meeting. That’s smart selling – timing, tone, relevance – amplified by shared intel captured through a consistent process.”

Sarah nodded, the relief evident. “Yeah. I was completely ready to write them off as unresponsive this morning.”

“That’s the value,” Gavin reinforced gently. “Shared intel prevents us from flying blind. The structure facilitates that sharing. Good work adapting.” He gave a brief nod. The Daily Huddle had delivered tangible value on day one, planting the first small seed of buy-in for the new rhythm. Even Chris hadn’t complained again. Yet.

✦ ✦ ✦

Coaching Plan: The Daily Huddle

Session Focus

• Establish the Daily Huddle Rhythm and Structure.
• Explain the purpose behind each component (Good News, KPIs, Priorities, Blockers).
• Demonstrate Immediate Value through execution (Surface Blockers / Share Intel).
• Build Early Buy-in for the new System/Process.

Talking Points

• Huddle Purpose: Quick alignment (10-15 min max), early roadblock removal, shared intel. Not a lengthy status meeting.
• Structure Review (Explain FIRST): Good News (Morale), KPIs (Reality Check), Priorities (Focus), Blockers (Problem Solving – Team First / Escalate). Emphasize the why behind each step.
• Value Proposition: This saves time, prevents missteps (like Apex), leverages team knowledge. We’ll see immediate benefits.
• Consistency is Key: Reinforce “Every single day.” Manage expectations that it might feel like a grind initially before it feels like progress.

 Questions to Ask the Team

• (Before starting rounds): “Any quick clarifying questions on the format or the ‘why’ behind each step?”
• (During Blockers): “Okay, that’s the blocker, Sarah. Before I jump in, does anyone on the team have insight or context that might help Sarah navigate this Apex situation?” (Foster peer support explicitly).
• (After the Apex connection): “What just happened there? How did following the structure allow that connection to surface? What was the potential impact?” (Reinforce the value explicitly).
• (If skepticism like Chris’s arises): Acknowledge directly but briefly, reiterate purpose/value, move on. “Understood, Chris. Let’s see how it plays out this week.”

During the Meeting

• Observe initial reactions to the structure explanation – confusion, skepticism, acceptance?
• Participation Quality: Reps sharing concise, focused updates aligned with the structure vs. rambling or unpreparedness.
• Engagement Level: Leaning in, active listening during others’ updates vs. checking phones, looking disengaged.
• Skepticism vs. Resistance: Note Chris’s initial skepticism turning slightly towards curiosity/acknowledgment after the Apex save. Monitor if skepticism hardens later.
• Blocker Honesty: Are reps bringing real blockers related to their Top Priorities, or filtering? Reinforce safety for transparency.

Where I Might Need to Step In

• Gently guide reps back to the structure if they stray (e.g., giving lengthy updates). Keep the pace brisk.
• Model Brevity: Keep my own contributions concise.
• Address Skepticism Calmly: Acknowledge feelings (like Chris’s comment) without getting defensive; briefly redirect to the process’s demonstrated value.
• Ensure Immediate Follow-Through: Act instantly on blockers requiring manager support (chasing Marketing for Chris) to build credibility immediately.
• Explicitly Highlight Wins: Point out moments where the huddle provides tangible value (the Apex connection) and link it back to the structure.

Related Chapters

• Chapter 1: The Mandate
• Chapter 9: Uncovering Hidden Constraints
• Chapter 13: Escaping the DMV Effect