When Was the Last Time You Were "in the Zone"?

In this series, professionals describe what numbers govern their happiness. Write your own #MyMetric post here.

It was 2:30 a.m. in rural El Salvador, and I was in a sweltering rented room, on my computer, working on a project plan. The air was heavy with moisture; my stomach was in wobbly condition; and I was sleep-deprived. I typed away, creating a plan, building a budget, and figuring out how to best measure results for VisionSpring, the non-profit organization for which I’d recently been hired as director. I was 23 years old.

Despite the objective conditions of the scenario, I felt indescribably great. My brain was engaged and things were clicking — it was exactly how people describe being “in the zone.” In the years since, I’ve looked back on that moment as a perfect crystallization of all the factors the motivate me — my metrics, in other words. 

What was it that galvanized me so effectively? A few things. One, I was directly affecting people in a positive way (VisionSpring’s mission is to provide training and eyecare for people living on less than $4 per day). Second, the work was hard. Third, I had a high degree of autonomy. I had freedom to experiment, fail, correct my mistakes, and continue. Four, I had a clear goal: get more glasses on the faces of people who needed them.

Identifying the factors that motivated me allowed me to seek them out in future scenarios — and even to recreate them when I co-founded Warby Parker. I continue to reflect on the elements that contribute to an engaging workplace, and those elements have evolved over time. Right now, what motivates me is putting other people in a good position to find their “zone.” The way to do this as a leader is to provide a vision, clear direction, and an environment that fosters execution.

At Warby Parker, we have a mission (articulated vision) strategic objectives (direction), and core values (which contribute to a culture of productivity), and all of these things help guide people.

Of course, everyone’s metrics are different. The way to identify yours is to reflect on moments when you found yourself “in the zone.” These moments of clarity are few and far between, so it’s crucial to pay attention to them. We hire a lot of people at Warby Parker, and for some of those people (hopefully the majority!), it ends up being the right company and role for them. For others, it may be the right company but the wrong role. And so on. But regardless of whether the match proves a perfect one, our hope is that the experience of working at Warby Parker helps further their self-knowledge and happiness. 

More posts on this topic:

• “Success Is a Moving Target. Here’s How I Know When I’ve Hit the Mark.” — Suze Orman, television host, author, motivational speaker, producer
• “Exit Interviews Reveal What Your Employees Really Think. Are You Ready?” — Shane Atchison, CEO at Possible
• “If I Can Help Women Invest Better, My Life Will Have Made an Impact” — Sallie Krawcheck, CEO and Co-founder of Ellevest
• “I Thought I Was Short on Time; Now I'm Long on Meaning” — Maynard Webb, Chairman, Yahoo!; Former COO, eBay
• “Maybe Woody Allen Was Right — 80% of Success Is Just Showing Up” — Whitney Johnson, thinker, author, speaker, advisor, coach
• “How to Turn the To-Do List into a 'Winner List'” — Naomi Simson, Founding Director, RedBalloon; Author, Blogger, Speaker
• “Wisdom from My Grandfather: You're Only in Trouble When Life Stops Being Interesting” — Nicholas Thompson, Editor of NewYorker.com
• “There’s No ‘I’ in Team. No ‘I’ in Success, Either.” — Bob Nardelli, Former Chairman and CEO of The Home Depot and Chrysler Corp.
• “Why I've Learned to Celebrate the Daily Successes” — Marcus Samuelsson, Chef and Author at Marcus Samuelsson Group