I was working with a senior leader who was promoted and suddenly found himself overseeing one of his companies’ largest strategic divisions. The role involved managing more than 3,000 people in multiple functions and taking full ownership of P&L.
It was a huge opportunity and one that he had long craved. But the reality of the job turned out to be much different than he imagined, and, in his first few months, he struggled.
After talking to him, I realized that this leader was having trouble keeping up with the pace of his new role. He complained that things were “moving too fast” for him and that he often felt overwhelmed.
Why did this leader have trouble making the transition to a more senior role? His performance up until that point had been top-notch. But when it came to taking on a larger job, he found that he simply couldn’t keep up. The “game,” as they say, was moving too fast for him.
Struggling to keep up with the pace of new challenges is a phenomenon that extends across many different professions.
For example, color commentators working on broadcasts of professional sports, particularly those who are former athletes, often talk about how the most successful players have the innate ability to “slow down the game.” What exactly do they mean by that? Fortunately, psychologists have been exploring and explaining the phenomenon for decades.
In the world of psychology, it’s called “flow,” a term used to describe moments when the brain is able to process information more quickly. Once that happens, we can achieve more and with better outcomes.
Initial research into flow state, which began in the 1980s, focused on the ability of artists to delve so deeply into their work, they got “lost in their work” to the degree that they often lost track of time and went without food or sleep.
One of the pioneers of this research, Mihaly Csikszentmihályi, described flow as “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” Once it was accepted broadly, flow state began to be applied to things like elite level sports and business leadership.
What does flow state look like for business leaders?
When leaders achieve their flow state, they will have total clarity about the expanse of challenges they face. This makes them responsive enough to fight fires when they erupt while also paying attention to the longer-term strategic planning and execution needed to drive business results.
Leaders who fail to achieve flow state spend more time thinking about how they are falling behind and less time on getting out in front of their challenges. These leaders struggle so much to solve current problems that they have no time to anticipate and plan for future problems.
How can business leaders, particularly those taking on new and larger roles, slow down the game and achieve flow state?
How can leaders find their flow?
- Cut yourself some slack. When you take on a new and more senior role, there will be a pretty steep learning curve. You’re not going to get up to full speed right away; give yourself one or two business cycles to learn the new job. Worrying less during the upslope of that learning curve will allow you to achieve flow much more quickly.
- In leadership, as in sports, practice is the key to success. Flow is a direct result of practicing your leadership skills: effective communication, providing clarity of expectations, delivering meaningful feedback, and seeking input on major decisions. How can you as a leader achieve flow state, take note: Practice is what you do before the big meeting, the key client conversation, the high-profile presentation to the board. You need to prepare in advance and seek feedback from trusted sources. Trying to find flow while struggling through a watershed moment is a no-win situation.
- Eliminate distractions. Given the magnitude of the demands facing business leaders, it’s important to eliminate needless diversions. We’re not talking about abandoning the occasional wellness break. But when you’re working, be focused on work. If you have an important meeting, turn off your phone. If you are facing a particularly complex challenge, don’t be afraid to sequester yourself to maintain focus.
- Seek out feedback. Leading in a vacuum absent of objective feedback is a very lonely and ultimately frustrating experience. Look for a more experienced leader to help you navigate the trials and tribulations that come with a new leadership role. You could also seek out an external coach who can work closely with you to formulate responses to your most pressing challenges.
There will be leaders who will dispute the whole idea of flow. But I can tell you that from years of personal experience, it’s very real.
Once the senior leader I was working with realized how important it was to slow things down, he was able to find his flow state. That allowed him to get more done, with greater success.
Your flow state is out there just waiting for you to discover it. All it takes is a bit of hard work and faith that things will eventually slow down for you.
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