Gut intelligence is our ability to make effective decisions by listening to the wisdom of our gut, heart and mind. Recent studies have revealed that there is a gut-brain axis that connects these three information centers, so we have a superhighway of information available to us to align decisions to our vision, values and goals.
These three brain centers within us all have their own function. There's the feeling in our gut that alerts us to cues early on, the heart, which aligns us to what we desire, and our head, which assimilates information to give us our best solution. When we synthesize these three information centers within us, we have the wisdom to know the truth and the guts to do something about it.
There are five reasons why leaders need to increase their gut intelligence:
1. It helps us make better decisions.
While we are given these three “brains” to consider in decision making, unfortunately, most leaders have not learned how to synthesize them before making decisions. In fact, many decisions are stalled or made impulsively because of different decision-making styles.
The person who makes decisions from only their head can succumb to analysis paralysis or be completely unaware of cues before they turn into hard facts. Conversely, the emotional decision maker can often react when they realize a fact. And the person who makes decisions based on that feeling in their gut alone often does not consider all the facts or how people feel before reacting.
But when leaders learn how to increase their gut intelligence, considering all three “brains," they make more effective decisions.
2. It helps us thrive in a tumultuous world.
We live in a fast-paced world, where constant information comes at us that threatens change. This can easily put us into a fight-or-flight pattern of reacting or, at minimum, a hurried state of being that causes unneeded reactionary decision making.
Leaders with high gut intelligence realize that they need to step back before they step into decision making. This means they spend time reflecting and getting curious about what is occurring, so they can raise their level of consciousness around them and within them. By practicing curiosity and consciousness, leaders increase their gut intelligence and are more able to practice the 80/20 rule — discovering what 20% of their activities will create 80% impact.
3. It helps us lead at a 10,000-foot level.
Too many leaders get stuck micromanaging by getting caught up in the minutia. At the surface, this appears as though they are afraid to trust their people to make decisions and execute effectively. But really, the root cause of micromanaging occurs when leaders do not trust their gut intelligence to help them see what is going on at the 10,000-foot level when the cues are just becoming clear. So, instead, many leaders are firefighters rather than trusting themselves to know what they know before all the evidence is so obvious.
When leaders trust their gut intelligence, they lead at the 10,000-foot level and alert their talent of cues they need to begin to consider. This awareness allows the leader to communicate with their talent in a way that evokes courage, not fear. When leaders share the truth, with courage, they help their talent deal with reality in a way that is compassionate, collaborative and connected to the vision, values and goals.
4. It creates a better culture.
When leaders have increased gut intelligence, they not only honor the wisdom within themselves, they honor and engage the wisdom within others too. They do this by realizing that a different truth can be seen from different angles and therefore embracing the collective wisdom of all makes sense. This means instead of believing they have the one right answer, leaders share the cues at the tip of the iceberg that catch their attention, admit they don’t have all the answers and therefore gather their stakeholders to collaborate on the facts to consider from their vantage points. When leaders practice what I call the seven gut intelligence principles — curiosity, consciousness, courage, compassion, connection, collaboration and commitment — the culture improves.
5. It connects us to our inner voice and keeps our ego in check.
When leaders neglect to increase their gut intelligence, they tend to be continually in a busy state of doing, striving to have all the answers and being the ones in control. This is often because deep down, they wonder if they are doing what is necessary to meet the goals. This can put them in a mindset of fear, judgment and control instead of being more open, trusting and allowing their talent to execute on what will lead to results.
When leaders are more connected to their inner voice, they lead by encouraging others to listen to their own inner voice and take ownership for creating ideas, action plans and results. This contrasts with organizations that look to their leaders for all the answers and don’t trust the talent they hired.
When leaders increase their gut intelligence, potential issues and concerns are being addressed early on, at the tip of the iceberg. This means there is time to contemplate and consider possibilities. Instead of approaching situations as if they were on fire, leaders who have increased gut intelligence approach situations with a ready-aim-fire mindset. This gives everyone time to consider the possibilities and ensure decisions are aligned to the vision, values and goals before reacting.
There is nothing that steals the joy from a job more than constantly having to put out fires. When leaders have increased gut intelligence, there is not only greater alignment and goal achievement, there is less stress and more joy in the workplace.
What do you need to do to increase your gut intelligence, so you can be a more effective leader?
