In this second installment of my posts from Targa Tasmania - a week-long closed road tarmac car rally - I want to talk about the art of concentration. My navigator and I are spending six days driving the mountain and forest roads of the Apple Isle in a quest for 'flow'. You know the moment. When things just feel right. When life just seems easy. When you can extract joy from a conversation or a piece of work. When you're in the company of good people and they share the feeling.
We're searching for 'flow' every day. And the interesting thing is it happens if you put in the work! We're prepping for each day by reviewing the roadmaps. We're anticipating the twists and turns (which are a MAJOR part of the fun) and the open roads too. We're hoping for the 'perfect' run. We'd be taking the corners at speed, using the full width of the road, trusting the car to perform its function. We're trying no to go beyond our limits because that wouldn't be 'flow.' But we're also concentrating intently for time periods ranging from 15 minutes to 45 minutes at speeds up to 130 kmh on windy, and sometimes, wet roads.
For me, it has parallels with business development. I think the importance of a business development meeting should necessitate raising your concentration to its highest levels for short periods.
You need to be searching for your 'flow' during a meeting.
You need to monitor the conversation for meaning and tone. You need to register changes in body language and atmospherics. You need to be able to 'fly over' the conversation - by this I mean take stock, from a strategic viewpoint - of the progress being made and how far you are from the finish line, and be able to adjust your speed as necessary.
You don't 'flow' unless you immerse yourself in the moment. You can't be thinking about the work back in your inbox. You shouldn't be overly distracted by waitstaff, or conversations that meander into nothingness. You need to be present for the nuances of the art and science of professional services business development. And if you can train yourself to up the concentration levels for these most human of interactions, you will find 'flow' happens more often than you think.