Depthfinding: The Midnight Zone - Experience, Emotions, and Reactions at Work

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 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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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.