Gut Intelligence (GQ): Why Leaders Need it as Much as IQ & Q

September 16, 2019

We’ve all had situations where our gut alerted us to pay attention. At times, we reacted to this "gut alert" and made a snap decision we later regretted, while other times, we ignored the cues and ping altogether — and later regretted that too. The problem is we didn’t know what to do about this gut alert that sent us into a fight, flight or freeze reaction.

Now, science tells us we have a gut-brain axis that can send the neurotransmitters, neurons and hormones from our gut up to the vagus nerve through our heart and to our head’s brain for processing.

Synthesizing the information from your gut, heart and head allows you to engage your executive mind’s ability to process the unconscious knowing of your gut and heart and, therefore, make a conscious and wise decision. I've tested this process on hundreds of executives to see if it has helped them be more clear, calm and confident, and it has. This process is what I've trademarked as gut intelligence (GQ). To increase your GQ, let’s better understand the functions of the gut, heart and head:

The gut alerts you to cues early on. Properly manage your gut alert by breathing deeply into it so you can bypass the amygdala part of your brain, which is responsible for your fight, flight or freeze reaction. As a result, you can send this unconscious information from your gut to the prefrontal region of the frontal lobe, where executive functioning occurs.

The heart aligns you to what you desire. Check into your heart’s emotions and desires so you become more mindful of the ultimate vision, values and goals you wish to achieve. When you pay attention to how you feel about a situation, you will gain clarity about what your emotions are telling you. For example:

• Anger is an emotion that tells you to change something;

• Happiness and joy tell you it’s all good;

• Disappointment means something fell short of your expectations;

• Jealousy tells you others have something you want that you don’t believe you can get;

• Confusion is the emotion that tells you that you are disconnected from your wisdom.

Then focus on a problem-solving question to engage your executive functioning skills, such as: “How might I make a decision that honors my gut and my heart’s ultimate desire?”

• The brain assimilates the unconscious information from your gut and heart to help you make conscious decisions. This will help you take the unconscious knowledge of your gut and heart and align decisions to achieve your vision, values and goals. By getting your gut, heart and head to speak to each other, like a collaborative "board of directors," you can make effective decisions in the moments that matter.

Take Janet, for example, an IT director for a Fortune 500 company. She led her team to build a digital dashboard which would engage outside customers for a monthly fee. She decided to outsource to a programmer who could get the job done faster and cheaper than any internal talent. Everything was going well until the end of the project when Janet picked up some cues that the programmer may have put in a widget in the backend to skim profits.

She had a gut alert when she sensed how fast the programmer wanted to launch before testing was completed and how the dollar amount in testing seemed like an odd amount. Though initially, she struggled with her gut alert, doubting herself and wondering if she was being paranoid, she decided to check the programming on the backend. When she did, she saw that her gut was right; the widget was different from what the e-commerce company had recommended. The widget split the revenue into two accounts—one that was his and one that was the company’s. Needless to say, he was fired, and the company was spared from what could’ve been a disaster, all because of Janet’s increased gut intelligence.

To increase your gut intelligence and make effective decisions that align with your vision, values and goals, use the STOP Technique.

STOP Technique

Slow down and breathe. Breathe three times through your chest and heart and then into your gut. Breathe slowly and evenly, in through your nose and out through your mouth.

Tune in within. Ask a problem-solving question such as, “How might I make a wise choice to help me align with my vision, values and goals, given the facts at hand?”

Observe what is happening within you. Pause to listen to your wisdom as you:

• Check into your gut. Look down and ask, “What do I know for sure?”

• Check into your heart. "How do I feel, and what is it I ultimately want?"

• Check into your brain. "What is it telling me to do or say to align with my vision, values and goals?"

Perceive the best possibility. Check in and ask yourself your focused question again: “How might I make a wise choice to help me align with my vision, values and goals, given the facts at hand?”

While IQ measures the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills, and EQ measures the capability to recognize the emotions of others and your own, GQ measures your ability to trust your gut alert so you can align your decisions to your vision, values and goals. When you practice the STOP Technique to make your gut alert more conscious, you will feel that “aha!” moment, a heightened awareness that is just perfect for you and your situation.

In this very tumultuous and changing world we live in, gut intelligence is as important as IQ and EQ to help you make effective decisions you won't later regret.