During times of uncertainty and rapid change, flow states are being used as a tool by high performers and teams to do their best work. From 5-star restaurants to professional sports teams. Being able to dial into Flow State means to get out of our head and into the game, effectively multiplying our results and happiness.
What are some moments that flow state might assist us and our team?
- Restaurant – Friday or Saturday Dinner Rush
- Cafe – Sunday Brunch
- Hotel – honored guest, celebrity, star or politician
Flow states are notorious for delivering premium art, work, meals and the champion of productivity. Discover in this article what are flow states are, what are some of the benefits of getting into a flow state and how to initiate a group flow state for our hospitality, office, hospital or kitchen team.
What is the Flow State?
We have probably heard pro athletes or musicians talk about this moment when they are fully engulfed in what they are doing. When there is no thought. Just the action and being one with the activity to deliver our best results in what they call Flow’.
Flow states go through 4 phases:
- Struggle
- Release
- FLOW
- Recovery
New York Times best-selling author and award-winning journalist Steven Kotler is the master of flow state. Co-founder and director of research for the Flow Genome Project, Kotler and his team have identified three different types of flow states we can experience
- Individual flow states
- Group flow states
- Community flow states
Think of the energy we experience at a concert with thousands of people singing together? That’s a community flow state in action!
So, what are Flow states?
- The merger of action and awareness – full immersion into the task at hand
- Intense concentration on the present
- Loss of self-consciousness and track of time
- Sense of control (flowing with the activity versus trying to complete it)
- Distortion of time
- The sensation that the task is intrinsically rewarding
Now that we have dived into what flow states are and the three different types of flow states, the bigger question is how to trigger group flow states for our teams to maximize.
How To Trigger Group Flow State for Our Team
Aside from triggering flow states on an individual’s level, group flow states companies can tap their teams into to generate exponential growth.
Here are 9 “social triggers” that will help initiate ‘group flow’ for our team:
- Serious concentration: remove all distractions to maximize attention and concentration on the task
- Shared, clear goals: a single collective goal that provides enough focus so the group knows when they are close to meeting it, but is open to not stifling creativity
- Good communication: constant communication to keep the energy going; nothing blocks flow more than ignoring or issues between group members
- Familiarity: group has a shared knowledge base; is inclusive; uses the same language and their communication style takes into consideration all members of the group
- Equal participation (and skill level): an example is a professional sports team; Flow is most likely to happen in a group setting when all participants have an equal role in the project and skill level; work as a team
- Risk: Innovation and failure go hand in hand as does success. The potential for failure drives creative ideas and thinking outside the box
- Sense of control: choosing our challenge with the skills to complete it; mix between autonomy (free to do what we want) and competency (being good at what we do)
- Close Listening: being present and listening fully; fixed and a focused-collaborative mindset
- Always Say Yes: Interactions should be additive, not argumentative; take improve comedy as an example and “run with it”
Conclusion - Benefits of Flow State
Flow states enable us to be present and in flow with the task at hand. To be able to support each other and meet all customer demands, especially in a fast-paced or high-stress environment such as a reputable Michelin Star restaurant, we have to react and act instantly in a calm state.
What are the benefits of entering the Flow State regularly?
- Helps mental health
- Multiple’s happiness
- Reduces anxiety and depression
- Higher performance in a wider range of highly specialised tasks
- Increase scientific and artistic creativity
Group and individual flow states have been a hot topic identified as delivering incredible results for top creatives, athletes, hospitality workers, students, managers, nearly anyone in any field.
Let us know what gets you into your flow state? Perhaps anything that sparked your interest or if the flow state recommendations presented in this article assisting influencing an individual or group flow state!
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