The Need for The Ready Zone is Now
As the entertainment industry faces new streaming options, changing media consumption habits, technological innovations, and shifting consumer preferences, organizational leaders struggle how to remain competitive. And, yet, I argue that if the focus is on the people of the organization – trusting them, rewarding them, and respecting them, you create an environment of growth, high performance and profitability. This ecosystem is what I call The Ready Zone™.
In The Ready Zone™, employees are valued. The leader, the team, the employees, and the organization, are 100% committed to people feeling valued for who they are, their contribution, their humanity, and the value they bring to the table by being themselves. The Ready Zone™ cultivates environments where leaders are ready and powerful to take on the opportunities and challenges in front of them.
If the media industry is going to continue to grow and morph at such a rapid pace, the absolute fundamental need for employees to move quickly is a must. While brands such as AT&T, Disney, Netflix and the new CBSViacom organizations are a key example of strong growth, the impact on this movement on people is dramatic:
- The president of a division in a technology company was suffering with kidney stones and refused to go home because he had a meeting he felt he had to be at. The pressure he admitted was exhausting and unrelenting.
- A Human Resources leader shared that one of her executives said that he’s tired of taking the phone into the bathroom to answer emails.
- At an executive retreat, a woman was sharing that on the weekends she needs a Nanny just so she can answer emails and tend to work.
- A senior executive shared that there are only “temps” and “owners” inside of organizations. He knows that at any time he could get a call that says he’s done.
While organizations may offer perks or sophisticated team-building activities to promote unity, if you really want to create a workplace where people feel valued, you must build up the level of trust, which in turn will create a greater measure of success and will leave employees feeling safe—knowing that they can bring their best selves to work and be their best selves at work.
If you want to ensure that your workplace is ready to take on new opportunities in front of you, which involves systems, strategy and tactics, you only get so far without placing an exponentially high value on people and making it as critical of a focus as the bottom line and to the bottom line.
Cultivating an environment of readiness—allows people to reframe, refocus and realign, to empower them to thrive and stay more relevant during times of change.
People are the New Emphasis
As organizations expand and contract, it’s the people who are left struggling and confused. Do they have a job? What’s their new role? Are they treated with respect? Do they feel secure in the organization? Addressing issues of trust, respect, and safety ensures that your employees are not just valued, they are treasured.
According to the 2019 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends report, “The No. 1 reason people quit their jobs is the “inability to learn and grow.” I would further add that employees are commoditized and our value for the humanity of the workforce is more marginalized because we need people to run fast and lean.
In PWC’s 2016 global CEO survey, they shared that 55% of CEOs worldwide believe a lack of trust is a major threat to their organization’s growth.
Paul J. Zak, author of Trust Factor: The Science of Creating High-Performance Companies— revealed in his article in Harvard Business Review that “employees in high-trust organizations report 74% less stress, 106% more energy at work, 50% higher productivity, 13% fewer sick days, 76% more engagement, 29% more satisfaction with their lives, 40% less burnout.
Zone Performance Indicators are the Foundation of The Ready Zone™
Within organizations, strategy and decisions are measured by KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). In The Ready Zone, leaders are empowered to elevate and measure the 6 ZPIs (Zone Performance Indicators) that are paramount to people-focused, profitable growth. Each of these areas measure how an organization is progressing to a high level of readiness:
- Pivot–Ready: Pivot Moments are slight shifts that the individual makes to deal with constant change. More importantly, it results in new thinking, decision-making, and less stress because the employee herself leads the charge. It is not a top-down dictum, but a behavioral and mindset tool to adapt to change.
- Action–Ready: Action-Ready skills include a strong sense of purpose and legacy, solid boundaries, and high levels of emotional intelligence, which allows you to be decisive while considering others’ thoughts, opinions and ideas.
- Influence–Ready: Influence-Ready is the ability to achieve a high level of visibility and alignment, while building sustainable, healthy relationships and earning the right to inspire others.
- Connect–Ready: Good communication is one of the hallmarks of great leadership and is a fundamental component of The Ready Zone.
- Impact–Ready: This ZPI focuses on team alignment and leadership skills. It addresses decision-making, collaboration, team advocacy, empowerment, and autonomy.
- Culture–Ready: The goal here is to develop a culture where mentoring becomes part of what people do every day—where employees operate in the mindset of giving back, and people are consciously sharing ideas and information and skills, as well as learning from one another.
Under each of these 6 ZPI’s, there are actions, questions, and activities to foster a new team environment. To take a deeper dive into this program, please download my free e-book “Why Your Company’s Bottom Line is Not Your Top Priority: 6 Eye-Opening Strategies to Put People First” here or fill out my Needs Assessment here.
