The Issues

Collateral Damage

From mergers and rampant reorganization to the downward spiral of cable, the media industry is scrambling to stay relevant, to the detriment of its workforce.

If you thought change was simply happening once in a while think again. Before COVID-19, studies reported that 77% of companies were ill-prepared to deal with anticipated business disruption, 1/3 of senior leaders report feeling extremely burned out and $900 billion is wasted on failed transformation efforts each year.

COVID-19 has seismically impacted teams and organizations throwing everyone into a time of intense and extreme change, even doubling and tripling workloads. Staying focused and engaged is challenging when team members are running their work and lives from their new home office which could be their closet, bedroom or garage. Unlocking your team’s potential can be compromised as well as their performance, creativity, decision-making, attentional capacity and growing key relationships.

Organizations need to propel themselves forward dynamically and how do you as a leader do that with a workforce that’s challenged to keep focused, engaged and in action? The ability to capitalize on “Pivot Moments,” your ability to move dynamically and nimbly, is the secret to having the ability to reframe, refocus and realign your leadership during times of change. While the industry, your organization and team are moving through constant disruptions, the opportunity now as a leader is how do you think different and act differently instead of leaning on old paradigms and filters of how we view the world, our business and colleagues.

When it comes to the media and technology industries, change and consolidation is certainly not new. What is new is the behemoth scale of today’s megamergers being driven by technology and streaming video services, causing a ripple effect of fear and uncertainty like we’ve never seen before. As in epic levels of nail-biting fear from executive-level, right through organizations.

The paradox?

If the media and technology industries are going to continue to innovate, drive new products and services and be the engine for driving new economies, putting more of an emphasis on people is crucial.

Starting with an environment that’s more about respect, gratitude and trust, and less about employee flextime, nap space and dry-cleaning. A foundation and philosophy that’s grounded in transparency, less about the window dressing, and more about what’s behind the curtain. And most of all, a workplace where safety is a priority, vulnerability is embraced, and connecting with one another is as important as the bottom line. Those organizations are operating in The Ready Zone.

Explore The Ready Zone

Shocking Snapshots:

True stories from the field

1.	A senior executive suffering with kidney stones refused to go home because he had a meeting he felt he had to be at. The pressure, he admitted, was exhausting and unrelenting.
2.	A human resources contact relayed that one of her executives had said he’s tired of taking the phone into the bathroom to keep up with responding to emails.
3.	At an executive retreat, a woman shared that on weekends she needs a nanny just so she can answer emails and tend to work.
4.	In discussing the need for boundaries with a senior executive overwhelmed with her workload, she replied, “What’s that?”
5.	Another senior executive declared that inside organizations, there are only “temps” and “owners.” He knows that at any time he could get the call that tells him that he’s done.