What's Your Flow?

Have you ever been so involved in something that you lost track of time? Or were so energized by what you were doing that you didn’t mind the work required? And maybe it didn’t even feel like “work” to you. In other words, have you ever experienced a state of “flow?”

Flow is the term used by psychologist and author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD, to describe a state of deep focus and high engagement. I often use this term in career coaching when helping clients assess their career motivators.

So what is it that motivates you?

Let us turn the work of career development theorist and vocational psychologist, John Holland. Holland believed that people are most satisfied when they are working with people who have interests similar to their own. He identified 6 different work environments and said that you may identify strongly with one or with a combination of two or three. Holland’s equation: Person + Compatible Work Environment = Job Satisfaction.

Click on University of Waterloo's link to read about each of the six themes: The Holland Hexagon. Then identify which group of people you identify with the most, followed by your second and third choices.

Note: The closer the themes are to each other on the hexagon, the more similar they are. For example, Enterprising and Social are next to each other, so they share similar interests (i.e., people). Realistic and Social are on opposite ends, so these interests are very different. This is not good or bad, just something to note. It might mean that you need to be more creative in brainstorming options that allow you to combine these themes. Or, it might mean that one theme represents your career interests and the other represents your leisure interests. For example, Athletic Coaching would be one way of combining your interest in physical activity (Realistic) with your interest in working with kids (Social).

Also, just because your top interest is “Social,” does not mean you must major in “Psychology,” or that you should be a Teacher. It just means that you are motivated by helping others. If you are an Engineer, and your top theme is “Social,” then it may mean that you really enjoy working on a team, coaching or mentoring other co-workers or interns, etc.

So, why is all of this important? Well, it’s simple: If you are in a work environment that is consistent with who you are, chance are that you will be more engaged, share more commonalities with your co-workers, and be more motivated towards success. In other words, you are more likely to experience “flow,” where the journey is indeed the destination and where failure just isn’t an option.



For more information on Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of “flow,” check out the following article published by the American Psychological Association (APA): “Reaching flow to optimize work and play.”