For a break from the rapid pace of living in the Northeast, managing business, home, family, and all the other pressures needing attention in an all too busy life, I will grab an occasional flight to visit a friend in the Southwest and relax. This friend adopted a black lab mixture that I took a real strong affinity to from the moment I met him. In many ways, I felt that there was a kinship, an understanding, a common view that this canine and I shared that transcended words. I would look forward to each visit with my friend, but also was eager to get to visit with the dog and connect with another living being that seemed to know me better than I knew myself.

On one such visit I was greeted by the vigorous tail wagging that I had come to anticipate and savor each time it occurred, and quickly found my way to the backyard where the dog and I would endlessly play a game of my throwing a tennis ball or other object, only to have the dog retrieve it and place it at my feet eager to do it again. While acting as both participant and observer of my and the dog's actions in the backyard, I was struck by what it was that was so compelling about my relationship with this particular dog.

Dog Had Flow

As I observed the dog, I noticed that in all of this fun we were having, the dog was working quite hard - but not laboring in the least. There were many things the dog was accomplishing simultaneously, but was doing so playfully, cheerfully, and with enthusiasm.

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Tracking the thrown object, avoiding obstacles in the pursuit, being aware of surroundings and possible dangers, noting where other dogs were, etc. The dog and I were frozen in time together. Enjoying each other, the shared moment, and the tasks or jobs we were each doing.

Said another way, the dog and I were "in the zone" together. Each of us complementing the other's efforts in the exchange we shared. We were building and contributing to the other's enjoyment of the task and time seemed to slip away and lose relevance to us as we played. It was at that moment that the epiphany occurred. What I was drawn to in this dog was that he embodied what a psychologist named, "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, refers to as "flow." In much the same way that we, as business professionals can get "lost" in the tasks we complete as part of our work in a creative burst of energy, or a tireless pursuit of a suitable solution to a problem - the dog was fully committed to the task of playing "fetch."

Flow Defined

Dr. Csikszentmihalyi has studied creativity and has authored many scholarly studies on the impact of being wholly committed or dedicated to a goal on one's performance. In short, the concept of, Flow, that he has includes the following components that entrepreneurs and business people will very likely identify with as having been part of their experience on many occasions: 1.

The recognition of clear and tangible goals or results - rather than chasing some amorphous or poorly conceptualized targets that are beyond the scope or capabilities of a person's skill set, having easily identifiable and reasonable objectives to pursue leads to a person's more focused attention and less distraction. 2.

Dedication and focus - being able to exclude superfluous or irrelevant activities, ideas, and remain in a heightened state of awareness about the task allows one to delve more completely into a task for longer periods of time. 3.

Loss of self-consciousness while immersed in the task - for most activities, we don't get so wrapped up in it that we merge our actions and behaviors with our lack of awareness of the surrounding environment, others around us, competing needs, etc. On those rare instances when our pursuit of an outcome is so high that we can more easily block out distractions, we can operate at our most creative levels. 4.

Distorted sense of time elapsed - when we become so deeply entrenched in the pursuit of an outcome or in completing an activity, the recognition of time devoted to the task ceases to be a part of our conscious thought. Hours may pass without any sense that the task has become so consuming. 5.

Immediacy of feedback - when pursuing a creative task or one that has our full focus and investment, there is often a recognition of whether steps being taken or behaviors being performed are bringing resolution closer or not. Regardless of whether a step is ultimately a positive one that quickens the uncovering of a suitable outcome, or a step that does little to hasten project completion; the person is so attuned to the impact of different attempts on achieving the goal that modifications are done quickly and relatively easily. There is a feeling of greater awareness and syncopation with the task and a quicker recognition of whether something is likely leading to a successful outcome or not. 6.

A match of ability and complexity or challenge - for the person to operate at their creative best, according to Csikszentmihalyi, there has to be a task that is equal to the person's ability seeking to perfect it. If a task is deemed to simple, the person will not be fully engaged and will not see the completion of the task as fulfilling, rewarding, or challenging. If the task requires skills or abilities beyond what the person currently has competence in performing; the task will be viewed as a frustration, incapable of being resolved, or as something that is too difficult to correctly address by the person. 7.

A sense of control - people will operate at their most creatively when they believe that they have control over the outcome and the process to be used to achieve it. If randomness is viewed as a critical determinant of success or a variable that has strong influence over performance; few people will be as apt to devote themselves so completely to the completion of the task as if they have an understanding that their actions have a direct and immediate impact on the success or failure of the task. 8.

The activity itself provides a reward - if there is not a sense of fun, accomplishment, or in some other way fulfillment, few people will lose themselves in the pursuit of successfully completing the task. In those instances where the pursuit of solving the puzzle is as much fun as the achievement of a successful outcome, the odds are increased that the solution reached will be a creative one and represent the best work the person is capable of providing.

Ordinarily, when we use the phrase, to work like a dog, we think of someone who is laboring under tight deadlines, limited resources, and tremendous stress and strain. Yet, as I again threw the tennis ball and watched the canine chase it, I realized that the sheer exuberance with which he chased the fuzzy sphere was really not too dissimilar to the way I, and other business people behave when we are in hot pursuit of a goal or a target that we wish to acquire. Sure, the dog was panting and his heart was racing - but he never felt so alive and engaged in an activity as he did in that moment. He would stay have stayed there for hours longer actively involved in that same play had I not been the one to stop us so I could visit with my friend and ponder about just how much we really are similar to the animal kingdom creatures.

Dedicated to the memory of Max and the days and nights of play in the desert sun.

David Zahn is a serial entrepreneur and consultant to Fortune 100 businesses (www.zahnconsulting.com) as well as entrepreneurial startups (www.startupbuilder.com).

The opinions expressed are the author's and not necessarily those of connpost.com. Please direct comments to cdauber@ctpost.com.