Huddles turn a group of individuals into an unstoppable force.

Often depicted as adrenaline-fueled grunt fests, huddles are actually a sacred space of allyship—the place where singular strengths amplify into collective power. It’s a communal experience that heightens the excitement of winning and makes the pain of losing more bearable.

If you've been lucky enough to play on a team, then you know. “The huddle provides a sense of profound belonging and connection,” says Sarah Sarkis, PsyD, a licensed psychologist and performance coach. “For teams, the huddle strengthens cohesion and generates a shared identity that can improve performance.”

The core principles at work in a huddle—shared purpose, mutual support, rapid alignment, and more—can be just as impactful in other settings.

Watch any team at any level anywhere in the world and you’ll see the members huddling up before the game kicks off and in anticipation of a pivotal play. When the huddle breaks, there is a renewed sense of determination that’s palpable, as if a fortifying spell was cast on the players. Except it isn’t magic, just a potent psychological afterglow: the Huddle Effect. 

THE HUDDLE’S IMPACT ON PERSONAL GROWTH 

Clearly, linking arms in the huddle fosters social support. Says Sarkis: “You are physically and psychologically connected.” What’s interesting is that even when the team isn’t gathered, benefits such as increased self-esteem and self-efficacy, which is a person’s confidence in their ability to achieve their goals, remain. Possessing these characteristics can translate into you being able to go further in a workout or recover faster from a failure at work. In fact, 2023 research in The European Journal of Social Psychology suggests that higher self-efficacy can prevent setbacks from torpedoing future success.

This halo effect doesn’t have to be temporary. Within the sports world, there are many examples of athletes bringing huddle culture off the field. For example, take former soccer pro Megan Rapinoe leading the fight for equal pay. There was a shared mission and a feeling of safety going into that battle under her leadership.

Even better: You can enjoy the huddle effect even if you don’t currently play on a team—and even if you never have. “Metaphorical huddles are places where we have a shared sense of identity, trust, and belonging,” explains Sarkis. Think lifting partners who motivate you to reach a personal record or a group chat where you swap tips for thriving in menopause with mid-life friends.

Simply put: Huddles are tight-knit communities.

HOW TO GENERATE MORE HUDDLE ENERGY 

1. Create psychological safety: “Building an environment where the metaphorical huddle can exist and people feel like they’re arm-in-arm requires psychological safety,” says Sarkis. “The key is to cultivate behaviors that lead to atmospheres where people want to keep showing up because they feel valued, safe, seen, and heard.” One way to do that is to practice active listening and to be curious enough to ask good questions.

Researcher Amy C. Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, coined the term "team psychological safety.” She defined it as a workplace where people feel comfortable speaking honestly without fear of negative consequences, which can both improve the overall work culture and how teams perform.

Here are some research-backed tips for how to foster team psychological safety, especially if you’re the leader:

• Help your team bond. When people feel comfortable with each other, they share knowledge more freely. This is especially important now with remote and hybrid work.

• Normalize learning from mistakes. Asking for help can feel risky, but it's essential for growth.

• Listen to others with genuine interest, humility, and openness. Show people their input matters by regularly asking for their thoughts. Stay calm when you hear opposing views or disappointing news.

2. Be clear about the mission: Like when Rapinoe took on equal pay for female athletes, huddles benefit from having a leader who rallies the group around a clear shared purpose. So consider what the vision is for your "huddle"—what you're all there for—and articulate that.

3. Have a mantra: It may sound goofy, but often there’s a shared language with the crew of people in a metaphorical huddle, notes Sarkis. Coming up with a saying that resonates with everyone in the group and using it regularly communicates belonging.

4. Accept the challenge: The huddle is a place of support but also of being challenged, reminds Sarkis, adding: “A metaphorical huddle should be safe enough that you can be challenged intellectually, but with low social friction.” In other words, you should be open to being nudged out of your comfort zone to work harder to meet those shared goals—and to motivate others in your huddle to do the same. That’s the ultimate litmus test.

So, gather your people! By creating your own huddles, you're not just building community— you're unlocking the extraordinary power that comes from uniting around common purposes, goals, and dreams.

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