Avoiding the Zombie Marathon: Where Do You (And Your Employees) Fall In This Workplace 2x2?

Being unhappy at work sucks. And a great deal of workplace happiness is driven by two things: how interesting is the work, and how much time and energy it requires of you. And over many years of managing, mentoring, and staying tuned in to my own level of satisfaction, I’ve used this simple 2x2 matrix to help understand where someone is, and what needs to change.

• CHOMPIN’ — Folks in this quadrant are really interested and engaged, but are not very busy. They are “chomping at the bit” to work and see their ideas and passions become reality. For these folks, it is important to understand what obstacles need to be moved so they can have an impact, or maybe redirect their passion to another area. Either way, folks in the Chompin’ quadrant likely won’t stay there long.
• SURFIN’ — People in this quadrant are riding the wave of being really busy with very interesting work. They just have to be careful to maintain their health and personal life, because it is easy to pour more and more hours into work.
• COASTING — Some people are neither particularly interested in their work, nor are particularly busy at work. They just coast along, doing what is needed without really pushing themselves. Coasting can be fine for a short period time, if business is slow or the group is between projects. But sometimes once you turn off the engines, it can be difficult to crank them up again. And if an organization reaches a critical mass of people who are coasting, the whole culture turn unproductive very quickly.
• ZOMBIEING — If your work is boring, but you are still very busy, you are running the zombie marathon. This is the misery quadrant. When I find a team member (or myself) in this condition, it’s time to take action quickly. These folks are used to working hard, so an interesting new assignment may get them Surfin’ again. Or, over time they may become proficient enough in their role that they start Coastin’. But all too often, the zombie state is the last stop before someone heads for the door.

At any given time, an organization probably has people in all of these states, and any individual can move from quadrant to quadrant over time. But, using this little grid is a great way to diagnose how a team member is doing, and take action before they take their exit.