How to Trust Your Intuition in Business Decisions

I used to check with everyone in my life before I made a decision. This need for outside validation was rooted in self doubt. A self limiting belief that everyone else knew better than me. The problem with that way of thinking is that other people aren’t you! No one knows what is going to be best for you except you. Overcoming this reliance on external validation wasn’t easy, but it was transformative. Here’s what I did: 1. Recognize Your Achievements: I started by making a list of all the decisions I had made on my own that turned out well. This helped me see that I am capable and can trust my judgment. 2. Seek Self-Understanding: I invested time in understanding my values, goals, and preferences. This self-reflection helped me align my decisions with who I truly am, rather than what others expect of me. 3. Embrace Mistakes as Learning Opportunities: I learned to view mistakes not as failures, but as valuable lessons. This shift in perspective helped me to be less afraid of making decisions on my own. 4. Start Small: I began by making small decisions without seeking others’ opinions. Gradually, as my confidence grew, I tackled larger decisions. 5. Mindfulness and Intuition: I practiced mindfulness to stay connected with my inner voice. Trusting your gut is a crucial part of trusting yourself. 6. Limit the Influence of Others: While advice can be valuable, I learned to limit the number of people I consult. Too many opinions can cloud your judgment. 7. Celebrate Your Independence: Each time I made a decision on my own, I celebrated it. This reinforced the positive behavior and made me more comfortable with self-reliance. Remember, trusting yourself is a journey. Each step you take towards believing in your own judgment strengthens your independence and personal growth. The more you trust yourself, the more empowered you will feel to make decisions that are right for you.

It's not enough to have logic to make decisions as a leader. A lot of the advice you’ll find on #LinkedIn regarding decision-making revolves around: -SWOT Analysis -SMART Goals -Eisenhower matrix -OKRs These tactics require data and lean heavily into only 1 of 3 of our brains. Yes, I said we have 3 brains. 1️⃣ The Brain/Mind, for Researching, Critical Analysis, Planning, and Strategizing. 2️⃣ The Heart-Mind, for Core Values and Emotional Intelligence. 3️⃣ The Gut, for Instincts, Risk Assessment, and Intuition. Leaders often face the challenge of integrating these diverse sources of wisdom. The key is not to ask the right questions but also to ensure that each 'brain' has its voice in the decision-making process: For the Brain: -What do I know to be true? -What don’t I know? -What is the best strategy? -What assumptions are present? For the Heart-mind: -How does this align with my core values? -How will this impact others? -How does this decision fit within the company culture? -What kind of legacy will this decision leave? For the Gut: -What's my initial reaction? -Is there unexplained resistance? -Do I trust myself here? -Does this energize or deplete me? Logic is over-valued in today’s society, and we have access to these other sources of wisdom. The more connected we become to our inner environments, the better leaders become at making critical business decisions. Our three brains are constantly learning to understand the nuances of our contexts over time. How have you balanced the insights from your brain, heart, and gut? #reframe #coaching #leadership #mindset

There’s a moment every leader knows—when all the data points in one direction, but something deep inside your body is screaming “No.” Maybe you call it a gut feeling. Perhaps spiritual nudging. Some know it simply as intuition. I’ve lived in both worlds: → Times when logic said “yes,” but my body said “don’t.” → Moments when the data looked shaky, but I felt a calm certainty about moving forward. Looking back, trusting my internal knowing—especially when it conflicted with external pressure—shaped my most defining leadership moments. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱: 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ≠ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝘀 Seek input. Gather perspectives. Then take responsibility. There’s a difference between being informed by others and being governed by them. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 That quiet “off” feeling when a proposal is wrong. The grounded peace when a risky pivot feels right. These aren’t random—they’re data your subconscious saw before your brain did. 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 Some of my best calls required swimming upstream—not to be contrarian, but to stay aligned with my values. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗔 𝗟𝘂𝘅𝘂𝗿𝘆—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 Data tells you what’s possible. Your team shares what they think. But your internal knowing? It tells you what’s right. Trust it. What’s a time you trusted your gut despite pressure to do otherwise? How did it shape your leadership? #Leadership #DecisionMaking #Intuition #AuthenticLeadership #Trust

Someone asked me recently what advice I’d have given my younger self, if I could have done so. A few thoughts sprang to mind, but one stood out the most: Trust that you know what you know. Our gut instincts often get a bad rap. They’re not perceived as logic-based and thinking goes, instincts shouldn’t carry much weight in your decision-making. I call BS - if anything, I think our intuition doesn’t get a fraction of the credit it deserves. I’d venture to bet, if they’re being honest, many professionals would say there were countless times they reflect and say "I knew it! - I don't know why I didn't trust my gut." Listening to your inner voice doesn’t mean you turn your brain off; you’re just tapping into another kind of knowledge – picking up on another person’s subtle body language, for instance, or even drawing on factual information buried in your subconscious, as Malcolm Gladwell talks about in Blink. Nowadays, it’s a daily dedication to make room for intuition in my life and work via meditation, physical exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle. By working to stay in touch with my body and the way certain choices and situations actually make me feel (as opposed to how I think I ought to feel), I not only gain access to that other sort of wisdom, I learn to trust the role those instincts have to play in the choices I make for my life and business.  What’s your experience with intuition? Can you think of a time when your gut feelings helped you avoid making a mistake? What advice do you wish your younger self knew? #SelfAwareness #GrowthMindset #Habits

What decision would you make if you fully trusted yourself? ***** I was talking to a former client (and dear friend) yesterday about some big decisions she needed to make. Like so many people, she felt pulled in multiple directions. Sometimes in those moments, it's almost impossible to hear the difference between your intuition and your fear, your logical/analytical brain and your keen ability to rationalize so you can stay safe. No matter how self-aware you are, it's hard to discern those things on your own. So we talked through two simple ideas that help get at the differences: 🤸🏻♂️ Get out of your head and into your body: What decision feels more like a physical release and opening? What choice feels more contracting or restrictive? Is that a lump in your throat or butterflies in your belly? There is a lot of wisdom in your somatic response. 🙋🏻♀️ Trust yourself: Sometimes it's hard to hear your intuition, but you might try asking yourself, "What decision would I make if I *fully trusted* myself right now?" There is usually an answer (however scary it might be) that pops right up. Sharing for anyone who might be at a decision point.