Consciousness Lessons from the

FiregroundJudith L. Glick-Smith, Ph.D.770-633-5582www.mentorfactorinc.comjudy@mentorfactorinc.comTwitter: @jglicksmith© 2014

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How I Got Here

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Think of an Activity…

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O Clear goals and feedbackO Opportunities for acting

decisivelyO Awareness and action mergeO Concentration on the task at

handO Confidence: The sense of

controlO Loss of self-consciousnessO Temporal distortionO Autotelic experience

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Traditional vs. Recognition-Primed Decision Making

O Traditional DM modelO Boyd’s OODA LoopO “Thin-slicing” (Gladwell, 2005)O Depends on recognizing

familiar situations and patterns (Klein, 1999)

O Action is based on experience and training

O Intuition grows out of experience

Observe

Orient

Decide

Act

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Flow-based Decision MakingO Awareness

O Of selfO Of othersO Of the situation

O PresenceO Living in the momentO Attending to goals

O Confidence as facilitated by O TrainingO Experience

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Georgia Smoke Divers

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The GSD ModelO Expression of intentionO “Fractal” construction

of trainingO Flat organizational

structureO Commitment to

infrastructure

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The GSD Model (continued)O Outward focusO Continuous

transformationO Altered states of

consciousnessO Focus on ritual and

honoring of the “ancestors”

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Nuts and Bolts: Smoke Diver Core Values

O CompetenceO HonorO IntegrityO ExcellenceO Mental ToughnessO PassionO Commitment

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“Fractal” Construction of Training

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Servant Leader Orientation

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Choose to be Happy

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Work Hard / Have Fun

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Be Prepared / Practice Your Craft (Stay

Hydrated!)

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Rest When You Get Tired

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Take Time to Meditate

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Teach and Mentor Others

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Foster Community

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Celebrate Success!

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Csikszentmihalyi’s Transformation into Flow

O Unselfconscious self-assurance

O Focusing attention on the world

O The discovery of new solutions while focusing attention on obstacles to reaching goals

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Georgia Smoke DiversO Conscious leadership

by example O Mindful managementO Using history and

ritual to bind the group

O Facilitating individual and team success

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ReferencesO Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: The

psychology of engagement with everyday life. New York, NY: Basic Books.

O Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

O Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1988). Introduction. In M. Csikszentmihalyi, & I. S. Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.), Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

O Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1993). The evolving self: A psychology for the third millennium. New York, NY: HarperPerennial.

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ReferencesO Gladwell, M. (2005). Blink: The power of thinking

without thinking. New York, NY: Back Bay Books.O Klein, G. (1999). Sources of power: How people

make decisions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.O Klein, G. (2009). Streetlights and shadows:

Searching for the keys to adaptive decision making. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

O Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing the unexpected: Resilient performance in an age of uncertainty. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley.

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Questions?