More than a feeling - Blair McPherson

 

It’s hard to define and harder to describe but never the less we are all familiar with its existence. The dictionary defines it’s as, “combining various separate ideas, facts or elements to form a new, unified and more complex understanding or whole”. You and I know it as ,”intuition” or gut feeling. In leadership circles people who have it are said to have, “good instincts “. Good instincts are rapid ,intuitive judgements or feelings that Guid decsions and actions before the logical brain fully processes them. These instincts help the individual assess situations and make effective split second choices especially  in uncertain or complex situations. These instincts do this by tapping into subconscious awareness and experience. 

 

Seasoned leaders use this to spot hidden risks or opportunities that traditional analytics might miss.

 

Gut instincts may seem less valid because they are not based on analysis and reason therefore may be subject to unconscious bias. The trick those with good instincts have mastered is to know when and how much faith to put in them by recognising the strength of intuition is linked to the extent of the individuals experience. This is because the unconscious brain rifles through its stored knowledge to find the best answer to our problems, without us consciously recalling the precise memories that power those feelings.

 

It can be tempting to view gut instincts as a kind of mysterious ‘sixth sense’, but In the past two decades, psychologists and neuroscientists have made enormous strides in identifying the sources of our gut instincts and identifying the specific situations in which our intuition is likely to lead to making the right decisions and which the wrong.

Accordingly the latest research has found the quality of someone’s gut instincts may depend on their overall emotional intelligence (EI).People with high EI had good instincts. The good news is that individual managers can improve their  EI by being given feedback into how their behaviour affects others and use this insight to influence future behaviour and improve their gut instincts. 

 

www.blairmcpherson.co.uk