How's Your Huddle?

Ask a retiring athlete what he or she will miss most about the game and they'll probably tell you it's the camaraderie in the locker room and the feeling in the huddle.

That's exactly what Seahawks receiver Ricardo Lockette talked about during his retirement announcement Thursday. He referenced the level of confidence that exists when you know your teammates, and when you trust they can get the job done.

Lockette is a fan favorite among Seahawks fans. They'll talk about his retirement. The bigger story for most sports fans across the country is the possibility of Tim Duncan's retirement after 19-seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. Retirement announcements are big storylines in and of themselves.

Here's one way to make it relevant to business conversations. When you hear an athlete talk about missing the camaraderie in the locker room or the huddle use it as an evaluation tool with your team of people.

How's your huddle?

• Do you trust the people you work with?
• Do you have confidence that can get the job done?
• What are you doing to build camaraderie?

Athletes spend time hanging out together, talking, playing games and getting to know each other outside of what they bring to the actual game. That's what leads to a great huddle and more importantly results.

Athletes don't show up for practice or games and expect talent to foster camaraderie. They build relationships.

You shouldn't expect to just show up for work and think your coworkers will get along. It doesn't happen without building relationships. If you don't know how to do that with your coworkers just ask. Use this as a conversation starter and see where the conversation leads. It's just one of the many ways to make sports conversations useful in business.