Tara gets asked: “How do you guys get any work done with all of the things you are involved in?”
Stowe writes: “In a world of flow, information will find us. And we will find ourselves more connected, in a richer world, with a different form of attention.”
I totally agree with both of them. And I also think that we need to nudge the thinking along just a step further. “Flow” is needed, and for individuals in an organization to be part of what’s going on, they need to be in it. Agreed.
Back in the early and mid 90’s, I did a lot of whitewater rafting, primarily on the Gauley River in West Virginia. Once you were in the flow, you were in the flow. No turning back. However (and this is a big however), if you were in the wrong part of the flow, things got very dicey, very quickly…sometimes with significant consequences.
Before jumping into the flow, you need to know the direction you’re going. Just as importantly, after you come out of a particularly turbulent part of the flow, you need to look back, and think about what worked, what didn’t, and what you’re going to do next time.
At SXSW this weekend, was thinking about this a lot, and realized there are really two parts of it:
- Part of the time you’re in the midst of the flow, and connecting with people and ideas
- Part of the time you’re taking a breather, and reflecting on what just happened and what’s going to happen next…
(Gauley photo credits: The fine folks at Ace Whitewater, from whom I learned as much as I ever did in any classroom. Jack & Tug…thanks again!)