Zombie apocalypse in organizations
On the outside, these zombies go through the motions, but on the inside they have given up. This is called “quit and stay.” — Multipliers.
What happens when zombie bites healthy-being? it spreads and multiply!
Term: “quit and stay” I learned recently, but we all are familiar with the concept. At some point in time, we all have been there or have seen scenarios where people do their job but lose the spark. Without such fire inside us, who are we but zombies?
Symptoms of zombie virus
The book Multipliers emphasizes that deliberately or accidentally we create situations for teams where talent does not multiply, instead it gets reduced. Few situations I will try to address learned from the book would love to know more from you in comments.
Putting talent in boxes
We create boundaries and decide where talent should stay and what they can do. Defining their ceiling limits their potential and they lose the confidence that they can do more.
Not giving the room
Intentionally or unintentionally, we suffocate the teams. We provide them all the answers because of love and care for them or because we think the team cannot come out with the right answers. Regardless of the intention, the outcome is the same: limiting the mental capability.
Under the microscope
We take accountability to extreme, discourage experimentation because of the risk of failure, or we just love to chop heads in defeats. This attitude hinders creativity and people become robots, not thinking, just doing. Cultures where leader always out for blood and gotchas! People shy away from answers they know as fear takeover. They just stop caring.
Team’s atmosphere
Tense or super cozy environments both reduce people’s tendency to get out of comfort zone and go the extra mile. Just think about it in a tense environment where you have to think about “that boss” or spend all energy in team politics. Will you have time and energy to contribute effectively? Same thing can happen when we create comfort zone around us. If every thing is ok, why do we need to become creative and do the impossible?
Finding the cure
While there is no silver bullet for this, pardon for bringing the werewolves in this. There are ways where we can contain and possibly cure this virus of hopelessness.
Breaking the barriers
Organizational structures should not constrain talent. Good leaders understand this. They reach out to talent without worrying about the boundaries, departments and designations. By fixating on problems and creating, gathering & unleashing the talent not only increase the chances of success but also helps people to contribute, using their max geniusness.
Tap into the native geniusness
Identify what intrigues the individuals. If we talk about software, we should know topics that excite them. Things they do with utmost joy and passion. For some, it could be a security, for others, it could be designing. There are problems where like-minded people can join forces without boundaries and do the unthinkable!
The challenger
Instead of tense, we have to create in-tense environments for people. Where challenges designs to conquer the impossibles. Key is to provide challenges with freedom to think and push the limits without fair of failure.
Geniune curiousity
Instead of giving teams the answers, ask questions… real hard questions! If you don’t know the answer, it’s the best scenario. Even if you know the direction, continue asking the right questions, it will surprise you where the team can navigate the solutions.
Safe to fail
There are areas where risk is high, like tackling the production. What we can do is create two buckets:
- Can not afford to experiment
- Safe to experiment
Such buckets give clarity and sandbox forms to continue the R&D and incorporate them safely into production.
Resist the temptation to intervene
Multipliers suggest a technique to hold 3–4 poker chips with you. One chip is for one interruption. This exercise is not only good for leaders but for anyone who has the habit of jumping in and interrupt the momentum. Because of this constraint, you hold chips with you till the end and the team continues the discussion and debates, using their vision to solve for the problem.
Facilitate debates
It is better to debate a decision without settling it than settling a decision without debating it. — JOSEPH JOUBERT
Encourage people to debate with passion and fire. Listen to all sides, then suggest role switching. With, that team can not only empathize with each other but automatically get free from the biasness that they initially had with their opinion. These healthy debates give teams to interact more and more and they answer to the questions which even you might didn’t know.
Bringing it all together
Trust the teams and peers. Give them room to grow. Do what’s possible to ensure that the team is not going into the hopeless state. Work hard to resist the temptation to jump in, the team’s capability will surprise you. Create mission impossible for you and the team, with right mindset impossible is the new possible.
We all make mistakes. What’s most important is we are open and eager to learn everything will take care of its self. In wise words of the great Bill Campbell:
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