Sam Hughes is the managing director of Halden Coffee. He runs the company with Maya, Priya, and Dan, who lead Wholesale, the roastery, and the cafés. On Monday morning, the overview in Headwater shows Sam how each pillar is doing and what needs attention before Tuesday’s leadership huddle.
By 2029, Halden is the coffee people ask for by name across the North.
Before Headwater, Sam spent Monday morning sending messages to find out where each project stood. Some answers came back after the leadership meeting had started.
Now each person checks in on Monday morning. They mark each of their climbs on track, off track, or done, tick the milestones they have finished, and raise anything in the way. A check-in takes about five minutes.
Every check-in is kept, so the leadership team can read back the whole quarter. Move through the weeks to see how Halden’s company climbs changed.
- On trackInstall and test the new roasterPSPriya·Due December
- On trackHire a head of coffeeSHSam·Due December
- On trackSign two regional distributorsMOMaya·Due December
- On trackAgree the lease for café sixDWDan·Due November
Halden’s leadership meeting used to start with each person reading out their updates, and it often ran until lunch. The leadership huddle has the same five parts every week, and each part has a set time.
Climb statuses are already in from the check-ins, so nobody reads them out. An off-track climb drops to the issues list, where the team ranks its top three and works down from the top. Ending the huddle saves a record of the ratings, the decisions, and the issues solved.
Some questions came back to Halden’s leadership team every few months, such as who can agree a trade discount. Each time, the discussion started again, because nobody could find what had been decided.
When a team solves an issue, it can record the outcome as a decision. A standing rule goes into the rulebook with its area, the issue it came from, and who was there. When a newer rule replaces an older one, both are kept, and each links to the other.
A rule can have a review date. When the date is close, anyone can raise an issue to look at the rule again.
The leadership team sets the direction in the annual planning session. It writes the vision, chooses the pillars, plans the year’s initiatives, and checks the ownership chart for gaps. Only the leadership team and admins can change the vision and pillars.
Each quarter, the company session reviews the pillars and initiatives, closes the company climbs, and sets the next ones. An initiative with no climbs next quarter is marked, because no work on it is planned. Once the company’s climbs are confirmed, the teams can plan theirs.
By 2029, Halden is the coffee people ask for by name across the North.
- £9m revenue
- 400 wholesale accounts
- 8 cafés
- Supermarket own-label
- Franchised cafés
- Coffee pods
When Headwater is connected to Claude, Sam can ask about the plan in plain words. Claude reads the climbs, initiatives, issues, and decisions in Headwater and answers from them.
Each item in the answer comes back as a card with its owner, progress, and status, so Sam can see the details without opening Headwater. Choose a question to ask it.
The leadership team starts first, because a team climb can only support a company climb that has already been set. Team leads set their teams’ climbs in the second week, and everyone checks in from the fifth.
Choose a week to see what to do in it. The leadership team checks in and huddles every week from the first Monday.
- SH
- MO
- PS
- DW
Book a demo and we’ll show you how Headwater would run your week, from the vision down to Monday morning.