Can "Gut Instincts" Get You Ahead?

By Drayton Boylston

Article from "The Daily Journal" Vol. 105, #39 / Tuesday, July 17, 2001

Mr. Madison, I’m afraid we can’t do business together. The business owner was stunned to hear these words from Andrew who had been pursuing, with great vigor, Mr. Madison’s business for weeks. The account was potentially a career maker for Andrew and represented millions of dollars in revenue for his firm. Andrew stood, shook Mr. Madison’s hand and walked out the door. 
As Andrew departed he felt a rush of relief along with an avalanche of “what if’s.” What if his gut wasn’t right? What if he got fired for declining the business? What if…. ?

The bank auditors were finishing the audit of the warehouse where they had uncovered that the so-called “inventory” of Mr. Madison’s firm was boxes full of rocks. The company had perpetrated one of the largest frauds in state history. Andrew’s firm would have been one of many led down the path of financial hardship, and maybe ruin, had they gone ahead with the relationship.

Intuition may be the most under utilized gift that we possess and it might be one of the most important tools to employ in this hyper speed world that we live in. 

Many people dismiss the use of intuition in business. The business world has long dominated by males and left brain thinkers. Intuition was discarded as so much new age thinking and had too much of a feminine bent to it to be embraced by the business establishment. Sandra Weintraub, author of The Hidden Intelligence: Innovation Through Intuition? states, “In this competitive business climate, creative solutions are no longer the province of the creatively-gifted.” We have all run with decisions based upon “gut instincts.” But what is that feeling and how did we tap into it? How often have you had a “gut feeling” about something or someone? Did it turn out right or wrong? How often do you listen to these “inner voices?” Everyone has a base of knowledge that has been gained through experience and continuously gives us signals in the form of “gut feelings,” enabling us to make quick and (hopefully) accurate decisions. Intuition enables us to make quick decisions without the luxury of a formal, more analytical process. Dr. Jonas Salk is quoted as saying that “the intuitive mind tells the logical mind where to look next.” Fast decisions are the product of facts and intuition. Ms. Weintraub goes on to say, “Intuition is really nothing more than using all aspects of your intelligence to run a better business.” Sounds like we need this to survive and thrive in the world today! 

How do we tune into these signals? Dr. Weston H. Agor, a leading author on the subject of intuitive decision making, states that “top managers using intuitive feelings have described the use of the intuition as “ a sense of excitement”, or as “a bolt of lightening or sudden flash that this is the solution”. Emerson calls it the “blessed impulse.”

These same top mangers develop strong physical feelings when they sense that an impending decision may be an incorrect one. In such situations managers describe the feeling as “a sense of anxiety, discomfort, or upset stomach.” Agor asserts that intuition comes down to “knowing for sure without knowing for certain.” Experts say that we need to “quiet our inner voice” in order to tap into our intuitive feelings. It takes times of silence and eventually managing these voices (the angel and devil on opposite shoulders) to take full advantage of our resident, but mostly dormant, intuitive talents. As you become more conscious of looking for this hidden asset, you will find that your “antennae” becomes better tuned in. The use of this gift that we all possess can indeed be learned.

A recent Harvard Business Review article by Alden Hayashi presents the research of leading scientists who suggest that our emotions and feelings might not only be important in our intuitive ability to make good decisions, but actually may be essential. Agor states that “intuition is a skill that organizations must learn to tap in order to remain competitive,” and according to Albert Einstein - “The only real valuable thing is intuition.” These are strong endorsements for something so long overlooked in the business world.

Andrew followed his gut and made a bold stand. Trust your intuition. It could very well catapult your career to the next level.

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