Most of us do not make life and death decisions every day. However, we do make decisions that impact our well-being and the well-being of others. This presentation introduces the concept of flow-based decision making using the fire service as a model for training in active consciousness and situational awareness. Presented at the First Annual Conference for the Society for Consciousness Studies held at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco on 5/31/14. www.consciousnessconference.org

1. Consciousness Lessons
from the Fireground
Judith L. Glick-Smith, Ph.D.
770-633-5582
www.mentorfactorinc.com
judy@mentorfactorinc.com
Twitter: @jglicksmith
© 2014

2. How I Got Here
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3. 3

4. Think of an Activity…
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O Clear goals and feedback
O Opportunities for acting
decisively
O Awareness and action merge
O Concentration on the task at
hand
O Confidence: The sense of
control
O Loss of self-consciousness
O Temporal distortion
O Autotelic experience

5. Traditional vs. Recognition-
Primed Decision Making
O Traditional DM model
O Boyd’s OODA Loop
O “Thin-slicing” (Gladwell, 2005)
O Depends on recognizing familiar
situations and patterns (Klein, 1999)
O Action is based on experience and
training
O Intuition grows out of experience
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Observe
Orient
Decide
Act

6. Flow-based Decision Making
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O Awareness
O Of self
O Of others
O Of the situation
O Presence
O Living in the moment
O Attending to goals
O Confidence as facilitated by
O Training
O Experience

7. Georgia Smoke Divers
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8. The GSD Model
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O Expression of intention
O “Fractal” construction of
training
O Flat organizational
structure
O Commitment to
infrastructure

9. The GSD Model (continued)
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O Outward focus
O Continuous
transformation
O Altered states of
consciousness
O Focus on ritual and
honoring of the
“ancestors”

10. Nuts and Bolts: Smoke Diver
Core Values
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O Competence
O Honor
O Integrity
O Excellence
O Mental Toughness
O Passion
O Commitment

11. “Fractal” Construction of
Training
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12. Servant Leader Orientation
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13. Choose to be
Happy
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14. Work Hard /
Have Fun 14

15. Be Prepared /
Practice Your
Craft (Stay
Hydrated!)
15

16. Rest When You Get Tired
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17. Take Time to Meditate
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18. Teach and Mentor Others
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19. Foster Community
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20. Celebrate Success!
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21. Csikszentmihalyi’s
Transformation into Flow
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O Unselfconscious self-
assurance
O Focusing attention on the
world
O The discovery of new
solutions while focusing
attention on obstacles to
reaching goals

22. Georgia Smoke Divers
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O Conscious leadership
by example
O Mindful management
O Using history and ritual
to bind the group
O Facilitating individual
and team success

23. References
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O Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow: The
psychology of engagement with everyday life. New
York, NY: Basic Books.
O Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of
optimal experience. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
O Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1988). Introduction. In M.
Csikszentmihalyi, & I. S. Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.),
Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in
consciousness. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press.
O Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1993). The evolving self: A
psychology for the third millennium. New York, NY:
HarperPerennial.

24. References
O Gladwell, M. (2005). Blink: The power of thinking
without thinking. New York, NY: Back Bay Books.
O Klein, G. (1999). Sources of power: How people
make decisions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
O Klein, G. (2009). Streetlights and shadows:
Searching for the keys to adaptive decision
making. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
O Weick, K. E., & Sutcliffe, K. M. (2007). Managing
the unexpected: Resilient performance in an age
of uncertainty. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley.
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25. 25
Questions?