At Work with The Ready

In this miniseries, we’re exploring Depthfinding—an easy-to-grasp framework designed to help leaders and teams solve their gnarliest cross-functional challenges.

This week, Rodney and Sam dive into one of the most pivotal (and misunderstood) aspects of the framework: stewardship. Depthfinding is built on the idea that organizations are like oceans, not aquariums. That means leaders have to show up in an entirely new way—not as a boss, a hero, or a disciplinarian, but as someone responsible for the ongoing health of a complex system.

Embracing stewardship can be an uphill battle thanks to the ghosts of leadership past and the inner work required to show up well in complexity. But when facing down uncertainty, building the conditions for resilience and learning to steward across each Depthfinding zone offers a new way forward.

Get the PDF Rodney and Sam talk about in this episode

Download the Depthfinding guide to get the template and examples of how to use it.

Want to learn more about Depthfinding? Head here: theready.com/depthfinding

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Mentioned references:

"Intelligence vs information age"

Jack Welch

Model T assembly line efficiency gains

Henry Ford quote about hands: The Future of Management, by Gary Hamel

connection between Gantt chart and slavery

Frederick Winslow Taylor

MRI study about how power impacts your brain

Employee Owned Trust (EOT)

00:00 Intro + Check-In: What is an underrated condiment? 03:46 Stewardship is how to put Depthfinding into action 08:32 Leadership ghosts of the industrial age: Henry Ford and the org chart 15:10 Leadership ghosts of the information age: Jack Welch and cult of personality 20:11 De-centering leaders and re-centering the organization for the future 23:50 Stewardship in the Midnight Zone playbook 28:13 Leaders modeling Midnight Zone moves is critical 30:29 Stewardship in the Twilight Zone playbook 35:46 Stewardship in the Sunshine Zone playbook 38:13 Stewardship in the Sky playbook 43:40 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share this episode with your colleagues!

This episode's theme music is Yaggadang by BG & Coyote Radio. Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.

In this miniseries, we’re exploring Depthfinding—an easy-to-grasp framework designed to help leaders and teams solve their gnarliest cross-functional challenges.

This week, Rodney and Sam zoom out. Because here’s the truth: the experience the last few months in the U.S.? It’s not an exception. It’s the environment we’re working in now.

From top-down compliance crackdowns to the resurrection of five-layer approval chains, we’re watching organizations double down on control just as the world demands more adaptability. Many teams feel stuck waiting for the storm to pass—without realizing that this is the weather now.

In this episode, we unpack what’s going on, what it means to lead when volatility is the default, and how to stop standing still and get moving.

Download the Depthfinding guide to get the template and examples of how to use it. Want to learn more about Depthfinding? Head here: theready.com/depthfinding

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Want future of work insights and experiments you can try delivered to your inbox? Sign up here.

Follow us on your favorite platforms for more org design nerdery:

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Mentioned references:

Mongolian-Manchurian grassland

"USAID cuts"

"former federal employees as foreign intelligence targets"

"diversity in teams leads to higher performing teams"

"permacrisis article"

Overton window

Critical Uncertainties (a Liberating Structure)



00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’s a notable wildlife encounter you’ve had? 05:03 Understanding the moment we’re in 07:01 Efficiency in principle vs execution 11:31 Broad cuts that don’t acknowledge complexity 14:57 Midnight Zone churn 19:29 Big sky mandates that are a distraction from real work 28:18 Navigating the changing sky within your organization 34:11 Compounding crises are likely, plan for uncertainty 38:34 Parting thoughts 39:33 Wrap up: leave us a review and send us your questions!

This episode's theme music is Yaggadang by BG & Coyote Radio. Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.

Rebroadcast note: With everything happening in the world right now, we're taking a quick break from our miniseries to reshare this episode about layoffs. Because sometimes large layoffs are necessary, but they shouldn't be the norm and those being let go should still be treated like humans, rather than a line on a spreadsheet. If you listened the first time around, share this episode with someone in your network who might need it (especially if they're a government employee 😬). We'll be back in two weeks with a brand new episode.

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We won’t mince words: Layoffs suck. They heap very real stress and chaos onto very real people’s lives. And as we’ve seen reported lately, big waves of layoffs are hitting several companies—and thousands of people—hard right now. This pile of not-good news sparked some questions for us, like: Why are layoffs a go-to cost-cutting lever? What pre-layoff org design decisions put employers and employees in this gnarly position? And why does every CEO letter announcing mass layoffs sound like it was written by the same robot?

In today’s episode, Aaron and Rodney, who’ve been on both sides of the layoff aisle, spend time with these queries and dig into:

The all-around messiness of the traditional layoff process

Why companies default to short-term thinking when the boom times boom

Dehumanizing layoff practices we should shelve for good

Creating clear containers and agreements for handling layoffs

How we could design a layoff moment that’s truly people-positive

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Mentioned references:

"RIFs"

ConvertKit episode: BNW Ep. 36 with Nathan Barry



"life stress inventories": Holmes and Rahe stress scale

Office Space, 1999 movie

Up in the Air, 2009 movie

In this miniseries, we’re exploring Depthfinding—an easy-to-grasp framework designed to help leaders and teams solve their gnarliest cross-functional challenges.

This week, Rodney and Sam dive into the Midnight Zone—the deepest layer of organizational life, where the lived experiences, emotions, and unspoken reactions of individuals shape everything that happens above. While many organizations focus on surface-level solutions, ignoring the human realities of work leads to burnout, disengagement, and resistance to change.

Leaders who acknowledge and engage with the Midnight Zone create organizations where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to contribute fully. Understanding the emotional undercurrents of work isn’t just about empathy—it’s about unlocking real, lasting transformation.

Download the Depthfinding guide to get the template and examples of how to use it. Want to learn more about Depthfinding? Head here: theready.com/depthfinding

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Want future of work insights and experiments you can try delivered to your inbox? Sign up here.

Follow us on your favorite platforms for more org design nerdery:

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Mentioned references:

First depthfinding episode

Conscious Leadership Group

ACT Matrix

Iceberg model

"workers deriving identify from their job"

"knowledge work is at peak inefficiency" - Jared Spataro from Microsoft at Charter's "Leading with AI" summit in Jan 2025. See his statements about 60% of a knowledge worker's time being spent on overhead

Gareth's episode: BNW Ep. 5 with Dr. Gareth Holman



This episode's theme music is Yaggadang by BG & Coyote Radio. Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.

In this miniseries, we’re exploring Depthfinding—an easy-to-grasp framework designed to help leaders and teams solve their gnarliest cross-functional challenges.

This week, Rodney and Sam step into the Twilight Zone—the often-overlooked but deeply influential space where teams navigate the “how” of work—the “how” of collaborating, meeting, deciding, and experimenting. Many organizations put all or most of their focus on visible outputs and assets, but the rubber meets the road in the Twilight Zone. It’s the organizational depth where strategy actually gets executed—which means it’s worthy of more than a passing glance.

When an important initiative stalls out, when teams side-eye change, when a leadership team’s decisions never translate into clear and meaningful action, it’s time to investigate the Twilight Zone. Leaders who want real progress—not just compliance—must foster cross-functional collaboration and create space for meaningful iteration. Because strategy isn’t about what’s declared. It’s about what actually happens.

Download the Depthfinding guide to get the template and examples of how to use it. Want to learn more about Depthfinding? Head here: theready.com/depthfinding

--------------------------------

Want future of work insights and experiments you can try delivered to your inbox? Sign up here.

Follow us on your favorite platforms for more org design nerdery:

LinkedIn

Instagram

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Mentioned references:

Twilight Zone, tv show

layers of the ocean

sea anemone

The Mom Test, book by Rob Fitzpatrick

Liberating Structures: BNW Ep. 49 with Keith McCandless

"IDM" (Integrated Decision Making): BNW Ep. 43



This episode's theme music is Yaggadang by BG & Coyote Radio. Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of Coupe Studios.