Chances are you have heard the expression ‘flow state’. But do you really know what it means? According to a research paper on the Neuroscience of the Flow State, flow is a “state of full task engagement that is accompanied with low-levels of self-referential thinking” (ie self-reflection or worry). While flow is often associated with athletes and artists, who need to be fully absorbed in their art to achieve peak performance, flow states can also occur in everyday situations, such as when we are carrying out certain tasks at work. Being in flow doesn’t just lead to a better performance, it also fosters a sense of accomplishment, meaning and well-being. And who doesn’t want that?!
According to the study, high levels of task-related attention can only be induced if there is a match between a person’s skill and the challenge of the task. It’s all about alignment.
But what’s all this got to do with your champions programme?
Imagine a scenario where your champions are perfectly aligned with the purpose of your security programme, and this purpose is aligned with your organisation’s security strategy. As a result, your training has given your champions the right skills, your programme has engaged them fully with their tasks, and they feel empowered to create positive change. This is when flow is achieved in your champions programme and the magic really happens!
So what are the key ingredients that make this flow possible?
Fortunately, we have access to some of the brightest minds in the industry who come along to our Layer 8 Champions® Community Meetups, and with their input, we’ve determined three key things: learning, reward and measurement.
“At the intersection of learning, reward, and measurement, a magic moment occurs.”
Sarah Janes, CEO Layer 8 Ltd
It’s when all three areas align with the purpose of your network, and are working for the good of your champions, and for the good of your business, that great things can happen. This is because…
- Your champions are aligned with the purpose of the network
- They are motivated and receiving the training they need
- They are active in engaging the business and facilitating changes in behaviour
- You are providing evidence on how your champions are reducing risk
Want to know more? You can unlock the secrets to these three elements in our latest resource, Creating magic moments: what happens when learning, reward and measurement are aligned. You can find it over on our Layer 8 Champions® hub. You need to be a member to access the hub, but it only takes a minute to sign up and offers a life-time of cyber security value!
Aligning your programme’s purpose for peak performance
In the meantime, we have put together the five key steps you need to take to align your programme’s purpose and create flow, where your champions are fully engaged in their task of protecting your business…
Step 1 – Identify your risk mitigating behaviours
Identify four to six risk mitigating behaviours which are aligned with your security strategy to significantly reduce risk.
Step 2 – Learning pathways
The learning pathways for your champions should then support these risk mitigating behaviours. In addition, they need to align with your business and security strategies, and be tailored to the needs and knowledge of your champions.
Step 3 – Reward
Rethink rewards beyond monetary incentives. Champions are motivated by social and self-signalling rewards, so make them visible and celebrated to reinforce their importance. It’s also important to ensure that recognition and engagement from senior leadership aligns with the importance of the champions programme. Authentic rewards lead to sustained engagement.
Step 4 – Measurement
Leverage your risk mitigating behaviours to measure the impact of your champions. We have created a measurement framework, which looks at five levels of measurement, gradually integrating more data sources as your programme matures. We discussed this in detail at our last Layer 8 Champions® Community MeetUp
If you want to become part of this growing community and learn how you can craft magic moments in your organisation’s security journey, then join our next Meetup on February 6, 2024 at 15.00 GMT.