"W" Is For Working (in the "Flow" or "Zone")
/As always, I want to offer my sincere apology to Sue Grafton for using (stealing??) her approach for the titles of her many outstanding mystery novels for this series of articles that I hope makes YOU a happier and more effective leader working with a truly empowered team that really enjoys what they do! Oh, and if you have not read any of Ms. Grafton’s novels I highly recommend that you give her a try.
As I’ve mentioned in earlier articles, being in the “flow” or the “zone” is the best possible working condition and YOU need to accept that you must be the focal point and initiator to help your Teamers get to work in the “flow” as much as possible. That’s true empowerment. The key to working in the “flow” or “zone” is to properly and completely define each project that you assign to your Teamers. More on how to do that later.
It’s The WORK That Motivates Them
“If an egg is broken by outside force, Life ends. If broken by inside force, Life begins. Great things always begin from inside.”
- Jim Kwik
In my opinion one of the major myths of management is that a person can motivate another team member. The only two things that motivate people are the work itself and the “environment” or working conditions that they work with every day. You can have an impact on the work assignments and the overall work environment, but you’re not what motivates them to do more or to do better. That comes from within THEM when they have projects that they understand and love working on. You can reward them and enjoy working with them, but you can’t motivate them, only the WORK can do that.
But what makes the work a motivator? Doing work in the “flow” or the “zone” as often as possible! That’s the KEY to making the work the motivator! As mentioned earlier, there are several key ingredients for projects that empower your Teamers to work in the “flow” including having clear goals, immediate feedback on their progress and a good balance between the challenges of the project and the skills of the Teamer.
“If you want to be successful, it’s just this simple: Know what you’re doing. Love what you‘re doing. And believe in what you’re doing.”
- Will Rogers
I want go into more details on how to provide projects to your Teamers that will get their creative juices flowing and enhance their love for working in the flow or zone also known as an empowered Teamer. If you can get your Teamers to do the work because THEY want to, rather than because YOU want them to, it would make for a truly great working environment and relationship between you and your Teamers!!
Working in the “Flow” – The ONLY Way to Go!
“Find a job you like and you add five days to every week.”
- H. Jackson Brown Jr.
You need to do everything possible to help your Teamers to work in the “flow” or in the “zone” or in the “groove” which is the state of mind that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a renowned expert on creativity, describes in his book Creativity as a “feeling of engagement and focus that time seems to pass unnoticed.” If you have participated in any sports most likely you have experienced being in the “zone.” It was the best game, match, set or round of your life! Everything went perfectly and your Teamers CAN have this same experience at work too.
If you have never had the chance to work on a project and get into the “flow” I have sincere sympathetic feelings for you. If you’ve ever worked in the “flow” you KNOW that you have experienced the best-possible working experience.
You must always provide your Teamers with the best possible project definition and processes to enable them to have every opportunity to work in the flow. I suggest that you use a Project Work Plan for project planning and definition.
Meet with your Teamers and give them the assignment, but don’t do it for them! Be as specific as you can on what you want them to do and help them develop a Project Work Plan that includes at least the following items for the project. Here’s a sample Project Work Plan to help you and your Teamers properly and completely define each project they work on.
Project Work Plan
Target User or Audience for the Project
Who is the user or customer? Identify the specific audience this project will help or deal with in as much detail as possible. Include individual job functions and/or titles if possible.
Current Situation
What is the current “situation or problem” that you want this project to solve or address for the user? What are the problems your user is having or may have had that this project must solve or address?
Project Objective(s)
What will the project do to solve the user’s problems(s)?
What are the Main Benefits Offered by the Project?
These benefits tell not just what a project does, but what it does for those who use it. List the user benefits the project must provide for each user.
What are the Alternatives to the Project?
What are the major alternatives to NOT doing this project?
What is the Budget for the Project?
It’s important to know how much money you have to work with. Up-front budgets give everyone an idea of whether they’re looking for a Mercedes or a Ford. Both can get you where you want to go, but each project carries a different price tag.
What is the Call to Action?
What’s the next step for your Teamers and Senior(s) for this project?
Timetable
The plan. The steps and time estimates for each phase to complete the project.
*****
Make sure that YOU provide at least the following information and processes to your Teamers for all of the projects that you assign them.
Clear directions and goals on what to do
Real responsibility and authority to do the project
A “panic button” to push if you or they get into trouble and immediate feedback on their efforts
They are empowered to use their creativity and judgment
The schedule for the project is aggressive but doable
There is a good balance between the challenges of the project and the Teamer’s skills
Your Teamers should have no worry of failure
In other words, you must strive to provide everything needed to get your Teamers to work in the flow on their projects every day. Working in the flow creates Teamers that love what they are doing and often lose track of time while working on a project and typically want to do more. If you can empower your Teamers to want to do the work because they want to, you can accomplish unlimited potential with your Teamers.
I strongly suggest that you read the book Creativity written by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi mentioned earlier which describes the flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. It is an amazing read and provides many more insights and ideas on how to provide the environment and tools for your Teamers to achieve the flow and the associated creativity.
“Trust that little voice in your head that says ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting if…’ And then do it.”
- Duane Michals
I wish you empowerment, peace, happiness and every success! Jonesy