Do you trust your intuition?

2013 is the Chinese year of the Snake and the NRG year of Intuition.

This year, if my gut feeling says it is the right thing to do, then I am going to do it.

If at the end of the year I am 25kgs heavier than I am now you will know my gut feeling is a lot stronger than my will power.

Picture this scenario.

You are looking to hire a new person and a candidate walked into your office, and said, “I’m here about the job”. Imagine them standing there, well dressed in a suit and then you notice a large tattoo across their forehead that says “Hire me, I am awesome. I doubt that you would be inviting them back for a second interview.

Yes, they might have had an excellent CV. They may have relevant industry experience. They could have answered all of the questions that you asked them at the interview beautifully.

The reason that you won’t have them back is that you are using your intuition.

Intuition is the X factor in decision making.

We all have a wealth of life experiences that guide us when we make decisions. We love to pretend that we are being logical and rational when making decisions. Reality is, often we are not.

Think about the last time you were considering trying a new cafe? What was it that gave you the courage to try it? Was it the colour of the logo, the pleasant aroma drifting from the venue or the handles on the mugs? I’d guess it was none of these. What probably influenced you more than anything else were the people you noticed drinking in the cafe and the people who were working there.

Your intuition gave you a “feeling” this would be a safe and wise choice. Some people call it a gut feeling.

I love using my intuition when I’m meeting people for the first time. In my line of work I can potentially work with 5 new groups in any given week.

When I meet new people at the start of a session, I love noticing my intuition. 80 per cent of the groups normally seem fine.

What is my gut telling me about the guy who came in late and doesn’t want to hold eye contact with me? What is the message I am getting from the lady who starts every sentence with the word I? It’s not my place to judge anyone. What I have learnt though is to trust my intuition. It helps me to make better decisions every day. It helps me to plan how I can deal with people and potential difficult situations in advance.

Here’s a little experiment that you could try the next time that you find yourself watching late night TV .

When the ads come on for another wonderful exercise and weight loss machine, lets call it the ab blaster 5000, turn the sound down. Watch the presenters. With their sculpted bodies, shiny teeth and orange skin what is your intuition telling you? You might get a very different feeling from the one that I get in my abs.

I discovered a new word last year, and I love it. Akraisia. It means doing something against one’s better judgment. It might be deciding to have an extra-large slice of chocolate cake on day 2 of your new diet, (I'll run it off tomorrow) or starting a new project and then clicking on that email promoting those $39 flights to the Gold Coast or picking up the phone to order the Ab Blaster 5000.

Your intuition is in a constant tug of war with your will power. If you let your intuition win most of the time and reward it for winning then you might find that you make more and better decisions every.

It would take a lot of courage to hire the candidate with the “Hire me - I am awesome on their forehead. If your intuition said it was the right thing to do, you might just have to go ahead, take the plunge and hire them. It might turn out to be the best recruitment decision you’ve ever made.

Most of the time if you trust your intuition and listen to that feeling in your gut and that little voice inside your head, you’ll make the right decisions. You don’t always need a spreadsheet and multiple meetings for permission to proceed.

Go for it.

Posted in Leadership, Sales; Tagged Sales, Leadership; Posted 28 January 2013 by Steve Herzberg