Is Your Intuition Moving You Forward or Holding You Back?

We’ve been trained to trust our gut, but is it the best way to make a wise decision?

In the world we live in today, we are expected (and we expect others) to give quick responses. Quick responses leave less time for making accurate and wise decisions, and fosters the mindset of  “go with your gut.” We are slowly making choices without using the intentional thinking system that helps us make deliberate and reflective decisions. Are we training ourselves to make gut choices that aren’t rooted in wisdom and factual thinking? 

Let’s take a look at using your intuition or “gut feelings” in the workplace.

Research has shown that our gut and “intuition” doesn’t always serve us to make the best decisions, especially in places like the workplace.  

At some point in time, you might be looking to hire a new candidate for your team. Many managers and executives rely on intuition when picking an applicant to join their team and this method can hinder their business growth (and overall profit) 

Our gut reactions are based less on facts and more on primal decision making. The tribal theory is an example of when our gut reaction might not give you the best outcome.

This theory explains that our brains in their primal state are hardwired to want to be a part of a “tribe” and be surrounded by people like us. We might learn towards selecting a candidate who is similar to ourselves because our “gut” automatically puts this person in our tribe and categorizes them as friendly, which raises their status in our eyes. When we lean into this “gut” feeling when hiring, we may choose a candidate based on this theory. While this might make you “feel” like a candidate is a good selection, it most likely won’t determine if they can perform the duties of their job well. In this scenario, research shows that it is better to focus less on your gut feeling about someone and take a more in-depth look into their achievements, qualifications, and work history. 

We aren’t saying you shouldn’t trust your gut at all. There can be some times in life when you have to make quick gut choices. We think that a big part of trusting your gut and making those wise decisions is through self-awareness. Learning about yourself and being on the journey of self-awareness can help you turn factless gut decisions into actions backed by thought.

Even an article in the Harvard Business Review calls out the pattern of following your intuition or gut as a balancing act, especially in making business decisions.

We believe that this balancing act of making wise choices and trusting your gut is about knowing yourself well and what’s motivating your decision making 

So how can I make better “gut” decisions?

1. Increase your Self-Awareness

This tip is key to making wise decisions, and becoming self-aware means that you make fewer decisions based solely on feeling but in conjunction with knowing how you work and what will bring you the most life in your decisions. 

How do you develop the skill of self-awareness? 

 We believe an excellent tool for self-awareness is The Birkman Assessment.

The Birkman reveals four key perspectives of every person: Motivation, Self-Perception, Social Perception, and Mindset. By understanding these perceptions and how they influence each other, individuals can better understand the emotions and actions that drive their lives. 

When learning more about your perceptions and motivations, you can train your gut to make more logical decisions and fewer decisions based on biased feelings.

2) Don’t be afraid to say I need some time to figure this out

Self-awareness also means being confident enough to know you might need a little time to make a decision. Don’t get stuck in making decisions based on habit. Take some time and evaluate it. Not everything requires extra thought but getting in the habit of giving yourself time to make a choice can significantly increase your decision-making skills.

Like all areas of our life, decision making is a journey. It will take time to train your mind and learn the balancing act of making wise choices for your life. The goal is to start somewhere and to work on a well-rounded version of yourself continuously. 

To learn more about working with a Coach at Doulos Advisory schedule a consultation today.