When a Plan Comes Together

Huddle Up!

By Paul Martin, PT, MPT, CBI, M&AMI

Meetings do not always have to be long with multi-page agendas. In fact, we find that shorter and more frequent meetings or “huddles” can be far more effective. There are many opportunities for huddle meetings. I walked into a Target shopping center one morning and witnessed all the staff gathered around the store manager. She was quickly going over what the staff could expect that day and what issues or snags could be avoided. When the meeting ended, they did a quick Target chant and ran to their positions. That was powerful. Why don’t we do these types of meetings in a rehabilitation business?

Consider establishing a strategy in each clinic where the entire staff gets together every morning and the leader sets the stage for the day by going over the schedule and hearing suggestions for keeping things running smoothly. Each department (front desk, aids and techs, professionals) could quickly go over priorities that the other departments should be aware of or could provide assistance. Huddle meetings could also be done on a weekly basis to look at operations results compared to goals and survey results, or address any major events that may be coming up in that week. Get your staff communicating by establishing a discipline of routine “huddles,” and you will score a touchdown every time.

Paul Martin, PT, MPT, CBI, M&AMI president of Martin Healthcare Advisors, is a nationally recognized expert on health care business development and succession planning. As a consultant, mentor, and speaker, Paul assists business owners with building value in their companies. He has authored “The Ultimate Success Guide,” numerous industry articles and weekly Friday Morning Moments. He can be reached at pmartin@martinhealthcareadvisors.com.