In the world of work, teams are essential. The ability to create and innovate together on complex, emergent systems is a must for successful projects. Have you ever worked on a great team? As an individual and as a team, you are purpose-driven and focused outward. It is a joy to work when goals are clear. You and your teammates lose your sense of time and self. This is what is called “flow.” Flow is the intersection of skills and challenge. It is precipitated by a trigger that pulls you out of yourself and drops you into a place of knowing. A 10-year McKinsey study showed that people are 5 times more productive when they are in flow.

Working in flow is a hard skill that must be nurtured through conscious leadership because flow itself is emergent. Flow-based leadership is about maximizing your own flow states while facilitating the flow states of others. How can your organization help your people experience flow more often, thereby improving their productivity, decision-making, and leadership capabilities?

Meet the Speaker

Judith (“Judy”) L. Glick-Smith, Ph.D., has been a technical communicator, knowledge architect, and leadership development consultant for over 35 years. She is a recognized expert on the topic of “flow” and “flow-based leadership.” She is passionate about helping organizations make better decisions and prepare for the unexpected by facilitating flow-based work environments.

She is an STC Fellow and a past international president of STC, as well as a past president of the STC Lone Star (North Texas) Chapter.

Judy is the author of Flow-based Leadership: What the Best Firefighters Can Teach You About Leadership and Making Hard Decisions, which was number one on Fire Chief Magazine’s Top 9 Public Safety Leadership Books of 2016. She is, also, a co-contributor and co-editor of Visionary Leadership in a Turbulent World: Leading in the New VUCA Context, which made the Forbes’ Summer Reading List for 2017; Exceptional Leadership by Design; and Women Courageous: Leading through the Labyrinth.

Judy has been studying flow-based decision-making and leadership in Fire & EMS since 2007. Her Ph.D. is in Transformative Studies with a concentration in Integral Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies.