Reading time: 3 – 5 minutes
This is the second in a series of articles about Flow. In each of the articles I’ll look more closely at Flow, each of the individual characteristics, and how we can use Flow in our leadership practice.
In my first post of the series, I talked about the idea of Flow as described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi 
When we are seeking an activity that produces a Flow experience, one of the things we are looking for is an activity that has clear goals. I’m not necessarily talking about the ultimate, big overarching goal; though having a clear ultimate goal is certainly important. Instead, I’m talking about having clear steps that need to be taken along the way towards the ultimate goal. It’s these clear little steps along the way that allow us to sustain a Flow experience.
For instance, if I have a goal of writing the next great american novel, holding out the ultimate goal of finishing the novel may be a motivating factor. But it is the steps along the way that will help me to produce a Flow experience. So, maybe my goal today is to write five or ten or fifty pages or maybe it’s just to get the main characters out of the predicament that I left them in yesterday. As I work towards and ultimately through that goal, I set another goal and another and so on. This act of setting and meeting goals helps to generate Flow.
Another example comes from when I was a rock climber. For me the essence of rock climbing wasn’t always about being at the top of the cliff, it was the getting to the top. Friends and family used to ask how I could be a rock climber and afraid of heights. The answer is related to finding Flow experiences. When I was on the rock, I was totally focused on the six or eight feet of rock immediately in front of me and how I was going to move up past this section. Looking for Flow in your activities is the same, focusing on the immediate step right in front of you and moving on to the next when you have completed it.
When we are experiencing Flow we always know what needs to be done and we do it. There is no ambiguity in what needs done. A basketball player knows that the free throw is needed and how to do it.
When we are engaged in activities where we have to keep starting and stopping to get clarification, the flow of the activity gets interrupted and we won’t be able to have a Flow experience. So the first key to being able to find Flow in any activity is having a clear understanding of not only what our ultimate goal is, but making sure that the steps we need to take along the way are also clearly defined. This way our engagement in the activity is continuous.
Leader’s Reflection: When we are able to experience Flow on a regular basis we are able to live a happy and satisfying life. When we are able to experience Flow in our everyday work we find the work more satisfying. Flow experiences start with making sure that we have clear goals for any activity. But not just having clear ultimate goals, but also clearly identifying the steps needed along the way.
