What does your intuition tell you?

Do you know that feeling…instinctively you know that this is the right way forward? 

I have that with candidates. Sometimes I just know that I have found ‘the one’, even after a 2- minute conversation. Or a little voice in the back of my head tells me that something is not what it seems.

I often find it difficult to trust my intuition. I have been thought that decisions should be taken based on facts, data. So I investigate further, completing my hunch with measurable information but in the end, my gut is usually right.

Strange thing intuition… yet, some of the best leaders uses their intuition first before looking to back it up with facts. They use gut check analysis and set plans into action without the noticeable analysis that others might use to determine the path forward. Where did they acquire such a skill? Or is it magic?

There is increasing evidence that intuition is more than merely a feeling. It is experience reapplied, it is information collected in the past and previous experiences that you reapply in a different time and a different context. So the gut feeling that successful leaders use as a reliable decision making tool is nothing but years of accumulated life experiences and observations.

This means that anyone can develop this skill. Human behavior is the key factor.

• Observe and listen to people. Get to know the people you work with beyond the surface. Your leadership intuition will grow when you notice people’s behavior.
•  See things as they are, without your fears, values, hopes and personal agenda interfering with your observation. Spot patterns and see the exceptions to patterns. 
• Broaden your scope to see the entire picture. You cannot see the forest when you focus on a single tree.
• Know yourself well enough to distinguish valid intuition from wishful thinking, ego or unwarranted attachment to an idea.
• Learn from your mistakes. Gain insight not only from your own errors in judgment but from observing others’ errors as well.

Don’t forget, intuition alone is not always infallible. It needs to be balanced with a rational decision making approach.

But, to be successful in today’s  business world, having the ability to be creative, to think on the fly and make key business decisions with little time amidst the tsunami of external information is vital. Intuition is the natural intelligence that allows us to see ahead of the curve, to think out of the box and to engage people without having to gather piles of information.

So tell me…do you trust your gut when it comes to the ‘big stuff’?

I look forward to hearing from you,

Isabel

Through a personalized and tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company

Check out our website http://www.ingenium-search.be

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