A “Z” word for leaders – Zone
I was the captain of my High School basketball team. My claim to fame as a High School basketball player is our team played in the State Tournament.
The image is the set-up of a classic 2-3 zone defense when the basketball is in the #1 position.
Don’t worry; you don’t need to know much about basketball to understand the principle of zone defense. Other sports have zones. American football includes zone defense.
Additionally, soccer and baseball player’s function within zones. Frequently, tragedy strikes when players stray out of their zones. For example, most of us have seen two baseball outfielders collide in confusion while the ball drops between them.
The trouble with zones is sometimes you’re watching the action while others play. You still have to watch the game, remain alert, fill your role, and be eager to participate. However, it can be challenging to see others at the center of the action when you want to be there too.
What to do when the action shifts out of your zone?
#1. Become a cheerleader. You may feel neglected and overlooked. If you aren’t careful, you might become a whiner. You might sulk because your skills are wasting. Resist the temptation to turn inward by turning outward. Lift yourself by lifting others. That’s part of being on a team.
#2. Avoid stealing the spotlight. Don’t try to out-do. Let others shine.
#3. Learn new skills. If you’re frequently out of the action it’s time to learn how to play in a new zone. I’ve seen people’s skill-set become less relevant to an organization. Managers and leaders should but won’t always leverage your skills. When this happens, you can feel frustrated, disoriented, unappreciated, angry, and useless. It’s isn’t pretty. You may decide to walk away. Perhaps you should. However, if you stay, learn new skills that enable you to play in a new zone.
*****
What do you suggest leaders do when the action shifts to another zone?
What other “Z” words can you offer leaders?
*****
Leadership Freak,
Dan Rockwell
Dear Dan,
Focus creates force. force is nothing but passion. Passion creates concentration and concentration boosts confidence. So, When actions shift to other zone, leader should zero in his focus towards goal. I appreciate your point that tragedy strikes when you stray out of your zones. So, self belief and inner confidence are the key to refocus. To remain alert and determined to your priorities you constantly need re-skilling, retooling and relearning. Leaders have to have great zeal to reach zenith. They should have zero tolerance against unethical and anti humane activities. Leadership is not zero sum game and but collective and collaborative win win game.
Dear Ajay,
There sure is a lot in your comment. One of the things I take away is how passion fuels confidence. I’ve seen this in my own life. Without positive passion negative fear controls attitudes and behaviors. Passion overcomes our fear of moving forward or taking risks.
Thank you for consistently sharing your perspective, I appreciate it.
Cheers,
Dan
Ajay’s bio is at: http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/featured-contributors/
This is great, Dan.
For me, the most important – and difficult – thing to do when the action is in another zone is to remain alert. You never know when BAM! now the ball’s in your zone!
How do you I do that? Listen. Support. Prepare. Anticipate. Stay on the edge of my seat.
Thanks for the good analogy!
Geoff,
Great seeing you again. I hear you on the “unexpectedness” of business and organizational life. You can never be sure when the ball will be in your zone.
Best to you,
Dan
Geoff blogs at: http://geoffreywebb.wordpress.com/
Good morning Dan,
I like the “zone” analogy although I admit I don’t understand much about sports that use them. From my perspective, you would have to be “in the zone” psychologically even when you are not the main player. To echo Geoff’s comment, you could suddenly get the ball.
I did theater for years and when you’re on stage you must always remain alert even when the spotlight is not on you. LISTENING keeps you in the zone and so it is for leaders as well.
I offer one more “Z” for leaders — Zeitgeist – “the spirit of the times”. Leaders who set/lead the Zeitgeist keep inspiration flowing and it releases the innovation/creativity of others. Even in tough times, an inspired team performs high and productively when this is in place.
So here’s to being the zone with a leader that sets a positive challenging Zeitgeist and then knows how to stay in the zone even when the spotlight is not on him/her.
Kate
Kate,
Once again your adding value to me and the LF community. Thank you.
I wondered if the sports analogy was too narrow but obviously you got it. 🙂
Thanks for Zeitgeist. Thats a Z word. If we aren’t careful the success of the past limit our passion for the future. We lose sight of the evolution of customer need, innovative processes and products, the needs of a younger workforce etc. I think its a real challenge to celebrate past success and continue keeping with the times.
I respect your insights, thank you
Dan
Kates people skills website: http://katenasser.com/
Great analogy Dan. To extend it to another sport – it made me think of little kids playing T-Ball. As a Mom, and a coach, I watchd my share of kids playing the game. As a Mom I would smile to see the distracted or bored outfielder watch the birds in the sky or the grass beneath their feet. They were not in the Zone – they were “Zoned-Out” because the ball rarely came to their Zone. As the leader (or coach in this case) my job was to rotate my players so that they developed new skills and became utility players who could cover many positions. And the more that they understood ALL the positions – the better they were able to cheer their teammates on. So my Z’s are develop a Zeal for learning in yourself and in your team so that you don’t run the risk of Zoning Out.
Joan,
I’ve been there and done that. T-Ball is filled with illustrations of getting out of your zone. For example, little Johnny or Janie steps up and finally hits the ball only to run to the wrong zone – 3rd base. Then across the pitchers mound in search of safe haven while 5 other players all chase after the ball including the first base-man. 🙂
Thanks for bring “rotation” to the discussion. Rotating helps break down silos and create teams. Great stuff!
Best to you,
Dan
Joan’s consulting and services aggregator website: http://www.corepurpose.com/
I generally eschew sports metaphors because of the inherrent competition framework assumptions built into the metaphor.
There’s nothing wrong with sports per se, but the built in belief that someone has to win and someone has to lose works against my efforts to lead a team that collaborates to win. It’s hard to tell people to collaborate when their assumptions and focus are on making the ‘other teams’ lose.
To quote Worf from Star Trek “If winning is not important, why keep score?”
I prefer a different metaphor – one that automatically assumes collaboration – the workplace as a village. I learned this from a great book “Men and Women At Work” by Katherine G. Kearney Ph.D. and Thomas I. White Ph.D. http://bit.ly/cKlZIS
The example I use… imagine you’re in a farmer’s market, and you see someone has brought tomatoes, someone else brought cheese and dairy goods, someone else is selling bread dough.
Now you see someone buying up all these items… and they make pizza for sale!
My question is, who lost in that deal? Everyone sold their products and the buyer was able to consolidate them into a higher value product.
Now cross that back into a team concept: Instead of competing for customers, they all became suppliers in the value chain.
Allan,
Thanks for taking the ideas I offer into another metaphor and a quote from Worf doesn’t hurt either. I’m a fan of the original Star Trek.
Thanks for sharing your perspective and insights.
Cheers,
Dan
Alan, winning isn’t about “beating” another team in the same organization, it is about “beating” the competition in the marketplace.
I ‘get it’ that the competition is the opposing team, no matter if it’s the other side or your marketplace competition. My point is what would happen if you saw the competition as on your side?
What would be different in how you played the game? What would be different in how you responded?
The ultimate question is why does there have to be a lwinner and oser in the game of business?
I don’t believe life is a zero sum game.
A rising tide floats all boats. Don’t be a boat, be the tide. Don’t just grow your business, grow the industry.
Where did Microsoft come from? By partnering with Intel to create an industry, one we all benefit from, and gladly pay for.
It’s a game of abundance.
I have more than enough, so you can have some. When you have more than enough, you’ll share.
If you don’t share then quite simply, you haven’t been given enough yet. This means it’s up to us to give you more. (that would be the editorial ‘you’)
That’s the way I run my life but it’s because I know what I have to offer.
It appears we are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to business competition and how the marketplace works and thrives.
Agreed 🙂
I know I am in the minority with this opinion. Sometimes I think I’m exclusive in it. I get told things like ‘Yes, good idea but don’t forget to look out for yourself too’.
I think business altruism creates an environment of mistrust and suspicion of motives, yet the power of compelling cooperation allowed Gandhi to achieve his results.
Why are there no business Gandhi’s?
Dan – kudos for reaching Z on your epic journey, and bringing us an unexpected, insightful ending!
I love the zone metaphor, but it does not fully work in a business context. Managers have more freedom than zone defenders. I have found that when focus shifts elsewhere, I can offer assistance while still monitoring my “zone.” In fact, on a business team, it is counterproductive to stay too tightly in your own zone. Offer help, engage in the new conversation, help someone else be the star. Just be vigilant for when the action shifts back to your zone.
Meanwhile, what next after the alphabet?
Mark,
Your kind words encourage me and your insights enlighten.
I hear you saying, where possible pick up the slack. I notice that both you and Allan are oriented toward a team environment. I’m delighted you bring that perspective.
What’s next? I have no idea. I’m just going with the flow. 🙂
I’m thankful for your participation,
Dan,
Mark’s unlocking growth potential website: http://fastgrowth.biz/
ZZZZZZ….zounds, I must have dozed off while in the zone! All this sports talk has given me some zip!
Your question, Dan, what to do when the action shifts out of your zone, sounds like a reality check for, at least, American business if not global economies. One could suggest that the action is continually shifting (it is) and your #3 is the solution.
In some sports and organizations, straying from the zone is encouraged as it helps the team achieve greater results. (We may be partially back into the dynamic tension realm here too.) There are very successful businesses that are endorsing having their employees spend 10-20% of their work time doing something not specifically related to their work as this creates more solid motivation when working.(see Dan Pink, TED video.)
Rather than a tragedy, it becomes an opportunity for others to test the ‘lead’ waters and for you, the leader, to have their back and zone covered while they venture out. This is legacy in the making. In both sports and business, it is the moment where an individual shines, but can only do so with team support. This also may be one of those moments where leaders can show what they are made of, if they are secure enough in their own skin being out of the spotlight. Of course the downside, if the person strays from the zone for to long to the detriment of the team functioning, that is a different issue.
So, as far as other ‘Z’ words go for leaders, zip and zeal are good, zabernism (bullying) and zoilism (carping or unjust criticism) not such good leadership traits.
The most unique ‘Z’ word may be: zenzizenzizenzic, which means the eighth power of a number. Work that into a conversation!
Doc,
Thank you for adding your insights. I’m focusing on drifting out of your zone. In basketball the weak side player (the one away from the action) learned to watch his own zone and help the team at the same time. Sounds like a plan.
The video you reference is on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc. It’s definitely worth a look.
Thanks for emphasizing something that I de-emphasized. You most eloquently state that learning new skills and shifting from comfortable or established zones is the wave of the present and the future.
You’ve always added interesting words to the discussion. I’m not sure I can make a leadership application from zenzizenzizenzic but I can get a smile from it thats for sure. I looked it up and one definition is quite eloquent. The square of squares, squared. Me thinks thou art a square!
Best to you,
Dan
Doc’s bio is at: http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/featured-contributors/
In the safety, health and environmental world in which I work, “Z” often refers to “Zero” injuries, illnesses and incidents. It is one thing for a CEO to pound his chest about the Goal being Zero; it is quite another when that same CEO has to put his company’s money where his mouth is.
A good example was Tony Hayward’s recent testimony in front of a U.S. Congressional Committee. Of course, the BP lawyers had a lot to say about what Mr. Hayward was going to say in that forum. When asked about the “safety culture” in BP all he could say is the tired old propaganda that “Safety is our No. 1 priority.”
Certainly, we all want to go to and come home from work with all our fingers and toes, but the reality of the matter is that injuries have more to do with human decision making than it does with propaganda slogans like the Safety is our No. 1 priority.
Jim,
Great seeing you again.
I think we should have zero tolerance for business platitudes and bunk. We say what we think we are supposed to say rather than the truth. I see it all the time. Frankly the people playing that game are hoop jumpers with little relevance to making organizations great.
Well I guess you helped me get something off my chest.
All the best,
Dan
Jim’s bio is at: http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/featured-contributors/
Dan,
Good post! It’s a great reminder that every player is necessary.
I like your focus on things to do when we could otherwise be waiting. I find those things are actually highly important, because they contribute to the atmosphere of respect. The consistent positive feedback helps others know that what they’re doing is valuable and valued.
Keep it up!
BF,
You bring yet another important truth to light. Thank you.
We show respect for others, the team, and the organization when we stay active even though our zone might not be…
Thank you for your comment,
Dan
Hiya Dan.
Watching and dong are very different things. We need ta get stuck in and participate rather than just sit on the sideline.
Doing this will help one reach their ZENITH. The peak. The high point. Having that vision and goal in ones mind will enable us to reach the ZENITH in terms of both career and self-development.
Again a great post Dan. I’m just worried what will come after the letters? Numbers? But that could take a while 🙂
chairs
mg
Mark,
Holy Cow another Z word. Again, I hadn’t thought of Zenith.
Numbers next… now there’s an idea.. maybe not a good one but its an idea.
Cheers,
Dan
Here’s Marks website: http://businessblips.com/
Hi Dan,
Great post. Just when I thought all of the Z words were taken two come to mind. One positive and one negative. Leaders need to be like ZAPPERS and electrify their teams and certainly no leader ever wants to come across as being the ZANY guy in the organization. I am holding my breath to see how you will make the “numbers” work. AD
Al,
Thanks for a grin and a chuckle. And thanks for even being aware that I did an alphabet for leaders series!
You zap me 🙂
Maybe the numbers series should just be prime numbers… ha
Best to you,
Dan
very nice list you have there.
For me, the most important – and difficult – thing to do when the action is in another zone is to remain alert. You never know when BAM! now the ball’s in your zone!
I agree, it is easy to be working on something else instead of watching the game and suddenly you are caught unaware.