A few camps here when this statement is made…
The first group is thinking about their stomach issues from eating too much, too little or issues better left for a WebMD article.
Another group recognizes ‘going with your gut’ refers to a feeling or a sense within themselves to act or react in a certain manner based upon this feeling. They may even have a thought or a memory in either a positive or negative light from a time when they did in fact ‘follow their gut’.
A third group has so shutdown any thought of a concept such as ‘follow you gut’ that to them this is either thought of total foolishness or possibly witchcraft. Everything is determined by research, facts, figures and proof in their world – period – end of story.
How about you?
Do you ever follow your gut?
What have been your results – positive or negative?
My track record has been to follow my gut or my instincts. There have been situations where my instinct was to do something or take some action and the decision had to be made fairly quickly. Almost every single time the situation was resolved in the best manner by following my instinct.
There have been other situations where the great and immediate urgency did not exist, however, there was still a need to take action if my instinct was to be followed. In these situations when my instinct was not followed, later it became obvious it would have been better to have followed my instinct.
How about you? Now that these personal revelations have been shared – what about you?
There are a variety of sayings out there on this topic. Here are a few if you were unaware that this was a real topic of conversation and has been for numerous years.
“Always trust your gut. It knows what your head hasn’t figured out yet.”
“Trust your hunches they’re usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.”
“Your brain can play tricks and your heart can blind, but your gut is always right.”
Some of you are thinking “Okay Mitch thanks for the information, so what is the point here exactly? What will this mean for me?”
Everyone has that radio station on don’t they? WII-FM … What’s in it for me?
Consider a job interview situation with two candidates each with the exact fit – in fact each one perfect for the position. Who will be hired and why? The decision will be based upon a gut feeling. This will never be written down and no one will ever openly admit this is how it happens. It does happen this way every single day in numerous situations just like this one.
Another example is the visit by competing vendors. Each of them has the exact products and stellar record of delivery, customer service and everything your would want from a vendor. The final two vendors are left and one has to be selected. The decision comes down to a gut feeling.
It happens every single time just like this case.
What is in it for you is to make certain you do everything in your power to influence the situations you are in through your preparedness, through connecting, by working with your coach regularly to role play and enhance your skill sets.
When it is time for the gut decision to be made between you and another person you want to be the one selected.
Mitch Tublin runs a boutique consulting firm with a main focus on leadership development, business consulting and executive coaching. Clients are served throughout the world from their base location in Stamford, CT.
