Individual Flow Trigger: Immediate Feedback
Your minimal feedback for flow may include failure
In this edition, I’m breaking down the powerful feedback loop of failure, the basics of the Immediate Feedback flow trigger, and real world examples of it being applied.
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Have you ever had that sports coach that was more like a drill Sargent?
Society frowns upon this type of coaching today, and for many people, this is the last thing they’d want from a coach.
However, there are those who would love this type of negative feedback to know when they’re messing up, so they can get better.
At the end of the day, that’s all immediate feedback is: cues to improve our performance in real time.
And the worst things we could do is assume all feedback is made equally and be confused on why we’re not tapping into flow, when what we think is a flow trigger is actually acting as a flow blocker.
Ok….I’m getting ahead of myself here HA!
Before I get carried away, let’s cover the basics of this flow trigger.
Immediate Feedback
Immediate feedback is another shortcut into the now. The term refers to a direct, in-the-moment coupling between cause and effect. As a focusing mechanism, immediate feedback is an extension of clear goals.
Clear goals tell us what we’re doing; immediate feedback tells us how to do it better.
If we know how to improve performance in real time, the mind doesn’t go off in search of clues for betterment. We keep ourselves fully present and fully focused and much more likely to be in flow.
How I Used Immediate Feedback 😎
The sales organization I worked with from 2013-2015 was very similar to the business model of real estate. Realtors have a brokerage where they’re hired, receive training, and handle all the administrative aspects of a deal. But they sell out in the field where the houses are.
But instead of selling houses; my reps scheduled appointments (demonstrations) with a warm power base of people they knew, showed up to the house to demonstrate premium USA-made products with a kit of samples they were loaned, then customer orders would be submitted and shipped to the customer’s house. Leaving the rep left with commission made from the order.
As an Assistant Manager I would accept calls from reps while they were in the middle of their appointments. We see this all the time when we’re purchasing a car and the sales rep has to leave to talk to the manager. We also see it during customer service calls when we have to be put on hold while the rep talks to a supervisor.
Learning how to communicate with my reps during the crucial time in the demonstration obviously helped them see how to do things better—and being corrected by my District Manager on what to say and what not to say to a rep surely helped my performance in real time.
How The Greats Use Immediate Feedback 🤌🏾
Tim Grover was Michael Jordan’s personal trainer—major emphasis on personal. His official title was “Sports Enhancement Specialist.”
Mike was looking for someone to work directly with him in addition to the team’s schedule.
This allowed Mike to focus on being better in the moment when it specifically came to him instead of wondering what he needed to do.
The “crack of the bat” used to be a built-in immediate feedback feature when it came to baseball. Innovation has mostly muted this sound in bats today, but for Babe Ruth, it was a clear direction to know how you were hitting in the moment.
One of my favorite quotes from him is, “If I’d just tried for them dinky singles I could’ve batted around .600.” Instead he batted .342, but I’m sure the sound helped him amass a slugging percentage of .690.
Drew “Bundini” Brown was the legendary hype man for Muhammad Ali.
He’s the one the coined the phrase, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” As skilled of a boxer Ali was, he was still in the sport of boxing. A sport where any given night, against any given fighter, could be your night.
No need to search for clues when you have a man yelling profound parables from your corner.
This Week’s Book Recommendation📖
Most people are never prepared to deal with failure. Bestselling author John C. Maxwell says that if you are like him, you feared it, misunderstood it, and ran away from it. However, he has learned to make failure his friend, and he can teach you to do the same.
In Failing Forward, Maxwell takes a closer look at failure and reveals that the secret of moving beyond failure is to use it as a lesson and a stepping-stone.
Last Words…
I have the belief that failure is the highest form of immediate feedback and the perfect way of implementing our MFF (minimal feedback for flow).
As a powerlifter, I experience this when it comes to my heavy working sets during my training sessions.
It’s pretty simple. If I’m doing something right, then the weight moves and I need to continue doing this something.
And if I’m doing something wrong, then the weight won’t move and I need to reassess my approach—whether that’s mental, emotional, or physical.
This thing called failure, that many people avoid at all costs, is a crucial part of my progression as a powerlifter. And it’s a crucial part in many areas of life.
Failure isn’t final, nor is it fatal.
Unless you’re a surgeon…
But even then, the patient may unfortunately pass away, but the surgeon will have an immediate feedback loop on how to get better and what to change.
I believe that success is actually the accumulation of many failures, not their absence.
You may be someone that prefers positive reinforcement over constructive criticism. Which is ok. It’s wise to now our natural preferences.
However, it would be unwise to all together unsubscribe from the notion of failing forward.
If you think failing hurts, wait till you experience the pain of a safe life with no failures.
Hope this added the fuel to ferociously launch your week! ♾️🔥🚀
See you next Monday! 😎
And when it comes to the infinite game of life…
Choose Flow.
Be Brilliant.
Ball Out.
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