Recently I wrote a blog about intuition, Subtlety and Intuition Are Close Cousins, that spoke to the nature of intuition, how we recognize it, and how we develop it. Today I’m writing about the hardest part of intuition—learning to trust it.
Once we recognize an intuition, a feeling or a sensation or that we need to move in a particular direction, the tendency is to descend into the “What ifs” and “Yeah buts.” We tend to second-guess our intuitions because they often times do not make much sense intellectually.
All the great sales trainers have written extensively about how people tend to make purchasing decisions based more on emotion than on product comparison. Though that’s somewhat changing with the help of the Internet and its online purchasing platforms. Though even when we read all the reviews, compare the prices, and consider the specs there is still some emotion involved in our buying choices.
I’m not suggesting that the buying emotion is our intuition talking to us necessarily. It may, or it may not. The point is, that if we are willing to make decisions like the clothes we wear, the cars we drive, and the homes we live in based largely on emotion, why then can we not be courageous enough to make decisions about the direction of our careers, the values we employ, and the relationships we cultivate based the emotions that tell us where our heart wants to go?
Could it be that the tug of our hearts is our intuition talking to us, but the idea of actually following the tug is scary, and may even feel like jumping off a ledge into completely unknown territory? Yes …
Yes to intuition, and yes to it being scary. It’s most often scary for us when we are feeling pulled in an unconventional direction, or a direction that is simply new for us. How do I know this? Because decisions based solely on intellect are decisions based largely in fear—fear that we need to rely on comparisons to make our decisions so that we can justify our decisions to ourselves, our colleagues, our spouses and partners, and to our friends and family. Decisions based on gut feeling are considered flagrant and irresponsible.
A friend and colleague of mine, Justin Belleme, recently shared with me that as a CEO of a small Internet marketing firm he has rarely looked at the resumes of the people he hires and doesn’t necessarily require them to have any experience in his field. Yet his business is doing great. Why is that? Could it be that Justin practices trusting intuition and hires people based on how well they will fit culturally with his company? Yes. In practice this has worked extremely well for him. He has very little turn over and maintains a small team of committed professionals who require little to no supervision.
Justin’s approach is a departure from the HR world in which you require candidates to posses precisely the experience for which a position requires—x years of this or that, must have this credential or that, and so on. It’s also a departure from the realm of management and an embracing of true leadership. The catalyst for Justin’s departure from established norms is courage—the courage to trust his intuition.
Howard Schultz has talked about the pressure he has received from Wall Street analysts to cut medical benefits to employees of Starbucks to make the company more profitable. Schultz’s response has been a resolute “No” as he has the courage to stick with his intuition about how important it is to treat employees with respect and to do all he can for them, because he knows it will be reciprocated with their dedication and professionalism.
There are many examples how possessing the courage to trust intuition results in better overall performance and greater longevity. We must begin by listening to our hearts, and then by employing the warrior spirit to trust intuition.
And the people that work there LOVE Justin and the way he runs his business. I know several of them. Thanks for the article Glenn. Your words hit where it counts: the heart and soul.
Thank you Karen. All the best,
Bravo!
Thank you Kathy.
Yes, I feel like the longer you can be with someone before you invite them into your circle (being business, organization, team) the better. It can be hard though to not include someone in our circle. We think of it as being rejected sometimes when someone turns us down. I wish we could change this idea of how we perceive that rejection. I try to feel happy when it happens. I didn’t spend my energy in that situation. The fit didn’t work out to be an all around win? It’s okay to walk away.
You make an important point Ty. It feels like you are speaking to the flip side of being on the receiving end of people who may not be listening to, or trusting in, their intuition. In these scenarios, we can only move on with the calm confidence that one day they will trust more and we will be more a part of each others lives-or not.
Well said, Glenn. There are just so many places that this shows up in for me personally, from hiring decisions, to what things I decide to read and even what stuff should be edited out of my own writings. And when I don’t listen to that feeling, I usually end up regretting it.
“When I don’t listen to that feeling, I usually end up regretting it.” I can totally relate Gideon. Thank you for your comment.
This is very interesting to read. My values are very much in line with yours, and this way of hiring is what makes the most sense to me, it seems that if you just stick to what’s on paper, you miss the essence of who the person is and what they can really offer.
I wondered if you had any suggestions for someone looking to work for this type of organization, with these kinds of values. How can a person find a workplace that values intuition and balance, etc? Without already having contacts perhaps?
That’s a great question Felicia, and I can’t say that I have the answer for you. Only, that to look to the companies that reflect deeper richer values in the way in which they do business, and then network into them. I think companies that are rooted in deeper richer values with be interested in people who reflect their values. Like my friend Justin, he’s hired people with no experience in his field because he knows they can learn the ins and outs of his industry, but that it’s harder to find people that fit with his culture of inclusiveness, diversity of style and personality, good writing and communications skills, a client oriented focus, and good project management. If he has those things, he’s golden. All the best, glenn