Creating conditions for flow as a coach
Flow has been described as the state of optimal performance, a state of happiness where people are so involved in an activity that nothing else matters (Csikszentmihalyi, 2002; Norsworthy et al., 2021). It has been linked to wellbeing and performance extensively, especially in sports and arts but also in business (Cranston & Keller, 2013; Kotler, 2020). This article examines how coaches can create conditions for flow in their own lives so that they can be happier and perform better in the service of their clients.
9-dimensions of flow
Like happiness, flow cannot be manufactured, it must ensue. Csikszentmihalyi (2002) identified 9 dimensions of flow that I will be using in this blog to assess how it aligns with coaching and how the coach could optimise creating these conditions to accommodate greater flow in their coaching sessions.
1. Challenge-skills balance
Flow occurs in a channel between boredom and anxiety, where the task’s challenge is just above the individual’s skill. If the challenge is too high, it can lead to anxiety but if it’s too low, it can lead to boredom, neither of which are conducive to flow.
Coaches are trained to engage in continuous professional development, which is also part of the code of ethics for professional bodies in coaching (e.g., ICF, 2023: p5, section II, pt. 16). This training and development should enable the coach to constantly challenge themselves to improve their skill. Challenge is also high due to the nature of the coach’s work. The clientele, the system they operate in and the problems they bring to the coaching sessions are ever-evolving and this offers variety to the coach, enabling a good challenge-skills balance.
2. Clear goals and 3. Immediate feedback
Csikszentmihalyi (2002, p54) explains how clear and immediate feedback are key to flow by giving the example of how ‘a tennis player always knows what she has to do: return the ball into the opponent’s course(court).’ And immediate feedback is given when the ball does (or doesn’t) land in the right area. Although some activities take a long time to do, he explains how feedback needs to be relevant for the present moment.
Coaches are both trained and expected to crystallise clear goals with the client, for the overarching coaching partnership and each coaching session. There are a variety of tools and techniques available to them to hone the purpose of the coaching goal. One of my favourites is STOKeRS (Pedrick, 2020) which enables the coach to help the client finesse the topic by understanding the subject(S), what should they focus on in the time(T) they have, what could be the outcome(O), how would they know(K) they’ve achieved it, what role/responsibility(R) are they both going to take in the discussion and where to start (S). Some people add the essence(e) of why it matters to the client now.
Immediate feedback can be sought in multiple ways – observing the body language, tone of voice and truly listening to the client responses is one obvious way. Another is to keep checking periodically on whether they are on track to achieving the goal explicitly. Post-session feedback and self-reflection are tools to add to this to enable both these dimensions to work for the coach in the long run.
4. Intense concentration and 5. Action-awareness merger
Here, the task is so fully absorbing that nothing else matters. However, in today’s world, it is easy to get distracted by numerous notifications that arrive to take up the coach or the client’s attention. As a coach, one would often take precautions as signing out of emails and instant messages and switching the phone on silent. But how about the client? How could you contract for this at the start of your session or partnership?
Another way of thinking about action-awareness merger as a coach is to use all feedback you are getting, especially the emotional responses in your body, triggered by something the client says. Your body and mind could be giving you cues which may be useful to hold up to the client in a non-judgemental and open way to understand it better, which could make the coaching even more effective.
6. The paradox of control
As per Csikszentmihalyi (2002), it is not really the sense of being in control but the ability to take greater risks when the practitioner has developed sufficient skills to reduce the margin of errors. ‘Control’ can be an interesting term for coaches as we are taught not to control many aspects of the coaching session. But I believe this is aligned with the concept of creative indifference (Friedlander,1918) from the Gestalt philosophy of coaching and the advice to hold your tools lightly as a coach. Training and practice should enable to coach to have this knowledge in their mind as they dance with their client to creatively explore any challenge they may be bringing. This absence of consciously overthinking the problem in hand and letting the client do the leading by being fully open and receptive to their verbal and non-verbal responses automatically lends itself to this dimension of flow.
7. Loss of ego
Flow enables the loss of self-consciousness, including our self-critic. While this is arguably an experience or output of flow rather than a trigger, it really helps in coaching. As a coach, although we can never fully leave ourselves out of the room, it is desirable to leave our own worries, problems, and sense of self behind while in the coaching session so that we can focus on the client. Could enabling flow make it easier for us to do just that?
8. Transformation of time
This is another experience of flow where time passes differently. However, as coaches, we are meant to control and keep an eye on time so that we can have the best possible outcome for the client. A tip here would be to find a way of having access to the time in a discreet but convenient way so that you don’t let it run away with you.
9. Intrinsic reward
Flow was called an autotelic experience by Csikszentmihalyi (2002) by which he meant that the task it involved was a reward (in itself). He suggested that if the individual was motivated by the activity as it aligned with their passion or sense-of-purpose, it could create conditions for flow. Most coaches that I’ve met say that coaching is a passion and it’s a career they have chosen to embark on. Therefore, it is an activity that links to the coach’s sense of purpose and is likely to be an intrinsically rewarding experience.
Looking at all 9-dimensions, it is evident that coaching lends itself very well to the happiness and optimal performance that flow brings. If as a coach, you feel you’re not experiencing this, here are a few questions you may wish to consider:
1. Am I stretching myself sufficiently in my coaching development/mastery? (Coaching professional bodies offer accreditations at different levels, that could be a way to constantly stretch).
2. Am I using a variety of tools, techniques and concepts and reflecting on these (either alone or in supervision) to continually stretch myself?
3. Do I have a diverse range of clients who can challenge me with different perspectives? Am I using a wide systemic lens to stretch them appropriately?
4. Am I holding my tools lightly and approaching sessions with creative indifference?
5. Am I listening with all my senses?
6. Have I set-up and contracted well with the client to remove distractions?
7. Have I made it convenient for the session to flow with necessary reminders, pre and post reflections so that the actual session feels effort-less?
We’d love to hear if you’ve had the opportunity to experience flow as a coach.
Priya Hunt is a member of Coaching Reading, a PhD researcher, an executive coach, and non-executive director.
References
1. Cranston, S. and Keller, S. (2013). Increasing the meaning quotient of work. McKinsey Quarterly, 1(pp.48-59).
2. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). Flow: The classic work on how to achieve happiness. London: Random House.
3. Friedlaender, S. (1918). Schöpferische Indifferenz. München: Georg Müller.
4. International Coach Federation (2023). ICF Code of ethics. Available from: https://coachingfederation.org/ethics/code-of-ethics. [Accessed 9 Oct 2023].
5. Kotler, S. (2020). The art of impossible. New York: Harper Collins.
6. Norsworthy, C., Jackson, B. and Dimmock, J.A. (2021). ‘Advancing our understanding of psychological flow: A scoping review of conceptualizations, measurements, and applications,’ Psychological Bulletin, 147(8), pp. 806–827. doi: https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/bul0000337 (Supplemental) [Accessed 6 Oct 2023]
7. Pedrick, C (2020). What is STOKeRS? [podcast]. Available from: https://thecoachinginn.podbean.com/e/su-talks-to-claire-pedrick-mcc-about-stokers/. [Accessed 9 Oct 2023].