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This is the last in a series of articles about Flow. In each of the articles I look more closely at Flow, each of the individual characteristics, and how we can use Flow in our leadership practice. In this article I want to explore why understanding Flow is important for leaders.
As leaders we need to not only look after the best interests of those that have chosen to follow us, but in doing so we also need to be good role models. We need to practice what we preach and lead others in such a way that is in line with how we are leading ourselves.
In a previous article, I talked about what I consider the real meaning of life. To put it simply, the meaning of life is to discover how we want to feel and find a way to create a life that allows us to have this feeling as often and as long as possible. To me, the concept of Flow is a gateway to being able to discover how we want to feel.
The Leader and Flow
One of the driving factors of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s 
Flow describes why this is so. When we are able to experience Flow we are happier, have higher self-esteem and are much more satisfied with the work that we do. All of these are qualities that help us be a more effective leader.
When we are able to replicate these qualities over and over again, we are seen as someone who genuinely enjoys and is passionate about their work. Something that we, as effective leaders, need to convey to those around us.
Finding situations that create Flow is not always easy. There are plenty of distractions for us to worry about and when we get too caught up in all of these distractions, we can miss the Flow opportunities. Being aware of the characteristics of Flow allows us to keep an eye out for the opportunities.
Leading With Flow
Keeping those following us motivated and doing their best is something we need to do as effective leaders. When we understand the characteristics that make up a Flow experience, we can help those working with us to find their own Flow experiences.
In the long run, this will lead to happier and satisfied followers who are continually looking for the growth opportunities that Flow activities produce.
Unfortunately, in our current business climate we get so focused on the short-term bottom line we tend to focus on those things that don’t allow for Flow.
When engaging those that work for us we tend to focus on what they can accomplish; how much and how fast. Many of our organizational change efforts lead to the big three: what we can produce cheaper, faster, and/or for greater profit.
When our focus is on how much and how fast we are actually inhibiting Flow, and the less opportunities for Flow activities we create in our organizations the less happy and satisfied our employees are.
Instead of focusing on how we get the most out of our employees, overburdening and overworking them, we need to focus on how to get the best out of them. We need to look at ways to change the work and work conditions to help provide opportunities for Flow experiences.
When folks are able to experience Flow on a regular basis they start to lose the notion of “work” so that what they’re doing no longer feels like “work”. When that happens, we end up with people around us that are open to growth and finding the best ways to accomplish what needs to be done.
And that leads to folks being satisfied and enjoying the work. Of course, satisfied and happy workers tend to lead to better results and more productivity; the same things we are after when we focus on the how much and how fast.
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. As leaders we need to be able to not only find ways to create opportunities for our own Flow experiences, we also need to provide those same opportunities for those working with us.
Just got to your blog now and have taken some time to read through your posts about flow. Having read Csikszentmihalyi’s book some years ago and liked it I was interested in your perspectives.
I like the work and research that was put into the book but much like so many other concepts like this I find that it then takes a step that is highly problematic. It shifts from the discovery of characteristics of an experience to the assumption that those characteristics can be replicated. To me the characteristics of the experience of flow emerge within and cannot be separated from the context of the experience itself. The shift then becomes one of finding flow when the opposite actually happens; flow finds you, in a socially constructed and primarily unpredictable process. When it is implied that you can create, or find flow it becomes an individually created, predictable outcome and this is incoherent with the actual experiences studied
The characteristics of a flow experience as noted in one of your earlier posts are as follows:
1. The goals for the activity are clear.
2. Feedback is immediate.
3. There is a balance between challenges and skills.
4. Concentration deepens.
5. The present is what matters most.
6. Our sense of time is altered.
7. There is no worry about failure.
8. There is a loss of self (ego).
For me the first 3 points and 7 rarely occur in organizational life and efforts to create them typically cause more stress since they are efforts in control where control is not viable. Points 4, 6 and 8 happen when you are in flow so it seems they are a result rather than a cause. For me point 5 is likely the most important and possible but if you are focusing on creating a flow state in the future it becomes difficult to truly focus on the present.
What happens is that the concept of flow is positioned as vision and as soon as that happens, flow is robbed of its wonderful and very real power. If anyone is interested I wrote a post on this just a little while ago – http://tmsamericas.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/problems-with-the-creative-tension-model/ .
While I think it is important and positive to consider and reflect on the concept of flow, I also think it is counterproductive to treat it as a something that can be predictably created.
Tom, I appreciate your comments and your perspective.
In fact, I had a situation sometime ago that I think describes what you are saying. A number of years ago I had found myself ’severely underemployed’ and needed to make some additional money. I got a job working in the seafood department of our local supermarket. This was a job that by all accounts wasn’t great: always smelling of fish, hands always raw from working in cold water and ice, unappreciative customers, demanding management, never getting to sit down, constantly moving. It was tough work. But I loved it. As it turns out, most days when I worked I was able to experience Flow. So much so that as i worked I become acutely aware of everything going on around me. I was extremely focused on the work, but at the same time recognized that I heard every line in every song playing on the store-wide radio.
All of this came crashing down around me when I started to investigate why I enjoyed this tough job so much. When I realized that I had been experiencing Flow (though I was unaware of the concept at the time) I tried to “force” it only to realize it couldn’t be done. With the “magic spell” broken, the job became unbearable and I only lasted another couple of weeks before I couldn’t stand working there anymore and moved on.