What makes great leaders, performers, scholars, athletes and students tick? The famed psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, argued that it is intrinsic motivation related to a phenomenon he called Flow–where the highest levels of skill are matched with the greatest of challenges–that explains great performances. In this state, things slow down. A top performer faces a complex task, and is completely absorbed. Nothing else exists. The performer is “in the zone”.
We will meet great performers in business, education, arts, sports, government and science. We’ll talk about when they are in the zone and how they get there. Since intrinsic motivation is a function of skill and challenge, both of which are in your control, you can learn how to be a great performer like those you meet here.
