One of my favorite things is to debate. I can pick either side of an issue and enjoy the discussion and the process. Growing up I’d watch my father and uncles argue (it a little more intense and a freer structure than debating) anything and everything. They’d often change sides half way through the conversation and begin again. My debating preference drives my wife crazy of course and it turns out both my children possess the “skill”. When they were younger I would debate them over the merits of staying out late or going to a party with boys, if they put together a cogent and compelling argument they would even occasionally win. These skills will serve them well in the business world.
Real time counts, I often hear clients say that they thought of the perfect response to a situation the next day or later in the evening. So what, it doesn’t count, the game is over. Learning to compose and deliver at the same time is a skill that value for business executives, sales people and anyone else that doesn’t have the luxury of taking their time to formulate a thought. We call it Business Improvisation for the purpose of teaching and learning and you can create and argue for a value proposition around increase execution, increased creativity, etc. The big benefit however is to the individual that can take joy in living in the moment successfully. And of course learning how to argue in order to stay out past your curfew.
Speed, pressure, eminent danger, excitement and a big crowd, it’s the Stanley Cup finals and there’s no harder championship to win in professional sports. Hockey is a great game to play and watch in my opinion for several reasons. The reason pertinent to this conversation is the players ability to think quickly and be creative in the pressure and real time of the game. I’ve read several interviews with NHL players and experienced it myself every Tuesday night in my beer league (at a bit different pace mind you), where they describe the feeling of not being consciously aware of thinking about the game while playing it. Wayne Gretzky, the great one, admitted in an interview to not being in his body during the heat of the game, feeling like he was part of the game as opposed to playing it. Other professional athletes describe the same feeling and I’m sure most of you have felt it at some point either at work or at play. That “being at one with the universe” feeling when time is irrelevant and you’re tuned in to the activity 100%. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes it as “flow” in his books and research. I’ve experienced it on the ice playing hockey, I’ve felt it playing guitar and I’ve also encountered this feeling of flow during sales calls, facilitating workshops or speaking at a conference. Csikszentmihalyi has investigated this phenomenon and has published some interesting work and books. He asserts that the right combination of challenge and skill (as this 2×2 matrix suggests) can activate the flow condition. The reason I seek the flow feeling is because I feel at my absolute best and can solve any challenge, over come any adversity and I’m truly living in the moment. The perfect state to improvise, to close a sale, to create a lasting relationship or to add value to a transaction.
During the first games of these Stanley Cup Finals its been clear that few of the Ottawa Senators are in the flow mode. Anaheim has done a great job at keeping Ottawa out of flow with intimidation and skill. We keep ourselves out of flow by not having confidence to be there, by letting adversity create fear and doubt in a crisis situation.
Imagine a time in your life when you were at your absolute creative best, in the flow mode. Now imagine that state of mind as a tool you can call on in the next sales call or meeting when things are not going well. Business Improvisation is that ability.
