The piece below is a writing sample from an internal employee newsletter. Some of the contents may have change to protect the innocent. Our goal with the newsletter is to reach a young audience trying to grasp the fundamentals of the Great Game of Business.

Great Game Fundamentals - Keepers of Time
Time Keeping In The Huddle

Keepers of Time Keep Us On Track

After all, numbers are simply a way of telling stories about people. -- Jack Stack, The Great Game of Business

In your huddles, a time keeper works with the group to assign time limits to each topic, helps the facilitator keep the huddle moving by reminding everyone how much time is granted for a subject, and asks the group to make changes if a topic needs a lengthier discussion.

Here’s a common example, for the next 5 minutes your huddle is discussing ways to increase sales. The group decides on passing out crush’n cards in cow suits. The line owner is worried about weather and everyone discusses different solutions.

The timekeeper informs the group, “We’ve been talking about promotion ideas for about 4 minutes. Do we want continue the weather conversation beyond our 5 minutes?”

The timekeeper kept the group focused on the subject and informed them of the elapsed time. This can help your huddle make informed decision quickly, increase participation and may even accelerate the meeting’s pace.