surviving workplace zombies
TRANSCRIPT
Surviving Workplace Zombies Paul Glen, Leading Geeks
Enter at your own risk!
Surviving Workplace Zombies
Poll: What’s your zombie problem?
What are workplace zombies?
Zombies are not simply demotivated people.
Demotivated people
Demotivated • Listless • Apathetic • Indifferent to outcomes • Not creative • Unambitious
The Scale of Motivation H
ighly Motivated
Passively Dem
otivated
Norm
ally Motivated
Zombie
High
Low
Demotivated person v. zombie
Demotivated • Listless • Apathetic • Indifferent to outcomes • Not creative • Unambitious
Zombies • Plodding but persistent • Single minded • Motivated to infect others • Not creative • Unambitious
Zombies are contagiously demotivated people, highly
motivated to infect others with their demotivation.
How does the infection start and spread?
How do people get demotivated?
• Non-work induced – Personal life events – Physical and mental health issues
• Workplace conditions and/or behaviors lead people to feel: – Personally unimportant – That their work is unimportant – Helpless to succeed – Untrusted – Disrespected – Out of control
Emotions are contagious.
People feel better about their own emotions when they share them.
Zombies want you to make them feel better about their negativity.
Your negativity validates theirs.
Spreading (de)motivation High
Low
Peak Performance
Highly M
otivated
Passively D
emotivated
Norm
ally Motivated
Zombie
I do have zombies! What should I do!?
Save them?
Strategy 1: Save yourself!
• Run away! • Hide • Recruit human
shields
Strategy 2: Save the survivors
• Kill them all • Isolate them • Build a
fortress
Rule #1
Never surrender
Rule #2
Don’t try to reason with zombies.
Rule #3 Have empathy
for the person but not the condition.
Rule #4 Don’t let zombies set the agenda.
4 different zombie cases
• Your boss • Your peers • Your business stakeholders • You
Help! My boss is a zombie!
Save yourself!
• RUN!!! • Stay focused on
what you want to accomplish
• Be prepared to run away!
Save the survivors
• Stampede (Everyone RUN … at once!) • Lead from below • Communicate your will
– What you want to accomplish – What matters to you
• Insulate your team • Be prepared to stampede
Help! My teammates are zombies!
Save yourself!
• RUN!!! • Stay focused on the team goal • Hide • Be prepared
to run away!
Save the survivors
• Lead by openly stating what you are committed to
• If zombies are a minority – Try to eject the zombie minority – Isolate zombies
• If zombies are a majority – RUN!!! – Convince your boss/sponsor to intervene
Help! My business stakeholders are
zombies!
Save yourself!
• RUN!!! • Work on something
else • Remind them of
what you are committed to
Save the survivors
• Use non-zombie stakeholders to manage zombies
• Distract them with bait – Something attractive to pursue – Something noxious to fight
• Convince their superiors to intervene
Help! I’m becoming a zombie!
What you can do
• RUN!!! • Never surrender
Noticing some zombie tendencies in your office? Leading Geeks Consulting and Education will teach you how to save yourself no matter
who the culprit is. To learn more about our customizable programs, delivered both in person and via the Internet, visit our website
www.leadinggeeks.com or call us at 310-694-0450.
Paul Glen, Founder, Geek. As the award-winning author of the book Leading Geeks, a long-time columnist for Computerworld and a 25-year IT veteran, Paul helps concrete thinkers navigate the murky world of human relationships. [email protected]
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