Product Showcases

Trust Your Instincts

"I rely far more on gut instinct than researching huge amounts of statistics."
  --- Richard Branson

Leaders are often quoted as saying that they hired a person because of his or her killer instincts. Or, you might hear a coach say that that player has a killer drive or great instincts to read a defense. That undefined sense that a person has over another is frequently credited to instincts or gut feelings.

We all wish we had a team full of members with great instincts and the ability to use them at the right time. We do want employees that follow the correct procedures for accomplishing a task or tasks that lead to a good outcome of a project, but we would also like for them to be able to think on their feet and apply common sense. We want them to kick in that inner drive commonly known as instinct.

"I knew very little about television, I knew very little about cable, cable programming. But my instincts were right."
  --- Summer Redstone

Following our instincts can be either good or bad. When we were younger, we might have had an instinct to do things that had we not thought it out, would have got us into big trouble. Behavior on first dates, skipping on a tab, running a light...all were instincts that we were either fortunate not to follow, or eventually paid the consequences for our actions.

Following our good instincts comes with maturity and knowing where the potholes are located. It is wisdom that increases with both age and experiences that help us to trust our instincts and follow where our gut is telling us to go.

"Leaders are people who can discern the inevitable and act accordingly. When people talk about business acumen, discernment is a big part of it. It's a bit like gut instinct, but a little more developed."
  --- Donald Trump

Unfortunately, we sometimes choose not to listen to that inner drive or voice. We fail to follow our instincts because we may have crashed and burned before, or perhaps we are surrounding ourselves with negative people telling us not to trust our gut. Over time, it becomes easier to ignore our instinct until we get to the point when we don't even hear it at all.

To open up that pathway of communication again, we must take chances and follow the promptings that come from within. As mature adults striving to achieve business success, I believe we can trust that voice again as long as it is peppered with knowledge and wisdom gained from our past experiences.

"In art as in love, instinct is enough."
  --- Anatole France

Instinct does not always say, "This will be a success, let's do it." Sometimes it says, "Don't even touch that deal! It is too risky!" Either way, our gut can serve us well if we will only listen closely and obey. Remember that our instinct is only one ingredient of the recipe. We should always mix in what our head is telling us as well. We don't want to ignore our gut, but we want to be sure that what we are hearing is not just the result of the spicy pizza we had the night before.

"Ideas pull the trigger, but instinct loads the gun."
  --- Don Marquis