How to Improve Your Gut Intelligence in Leadership

April 3, 2019

Have you ever looked back in hindsight and realized all the signs were there at the tip of the iceberg, alerting you to take action? Can you now see how paying attention to these subtle cues can save you time, money and headaches?

‘Gut Intelligence’ gives us the ability to see cues at the tip of the iceberg and act upon them so we can manage results and avoid harmful consequences. When we lack high Gut Intelligence, we ignore the signs at the tip of the iceberg that tell us danger is coming down our path. Later, we complain of being blindsided and betrayed.

People with high Gut Intelligence have a curious mind, seek the truth and are proactive to address situations before consequences occur. Those with low Gut Intelligence miss these cues throughout the day that tell them there will be issues if they don’t proactively address the circumstances. As a result of their passivity, they wake up in the middle of the night fretting over situations because their subconscious mind is trying to get them to pay attention to these subtle cues.

Those with high Gut Intelligence understand it’s important to breathe more deeply throughout the day so they can pause to curiously ponder cues they see. Now we can make sense of what our gut intuitively knew so we can take action in the moment that counts.

When we ignore the pings in our gut, it is because we have an attachment to have things a certain way. This is always because we would rather project onto a situation what we want, rather than see reality. While some may say, “the truth will set you free,” the unknown triggers our fear and attachment to safety, security, love and belonging. As a result, many of us choose to ignore the cues in hopes things will improve on their own.

Here are five signs you likely lack Gut Intelligence and what to do about it:

You move too fast and lie awake at night. When we move too fast throughout the day, we likely are missing those subtle cues that show up in body language, tone of voice, the pieces of the puzzle that don’t match up, or the incongruency between words and deeds. It’s okay to move fast, just be sure if you do, you take several “pauses” throughout the day to allow your intuition to speak to you.

You go into fight/flight when you see something that is not working. Those who lack Gut Intelligence react instead of respond to situations. This means they see the cues and go into a panic mode and kill the bird in the bush or turn their head and ignore the bird in the bush – instead of just calling out the bird in the bush. Those with high Gut Intelligence are not only able to identify when a situation or person needs addressing, but also able to ponder the question, “How might I approach this to create the change I want?”

You hate conflict. If you hate conflict, you’ve likely developed an ability to put rose-colored glasses onto every situation. This is different than having a positive attitude. This is called denial. Those who hate conflict have developed a strong defense pattern to deny the reality of a situation, so they can avoid the intensity of the situation. In order to improve your Gut Intelligence, practice assertively speaking up when the stakes aren’t as high. This will build your confidence in conflict resolution and ability to approach what your gut knows needs addressing.

You doubt yourself. Those with lower Gut Intelligence may trust their gut initially; however, when they approach others who deny the truth, they second-guess themselves. To improve your Gut Intelligence, detach from outcomes you wish were true and ask yourself, “What do I know is true?”

You jump to conclusions fast, without checking out your hunches. Like a great scientist, Gut Intelligence begins with a hunch (hypothesis), and must be tested to ensure accuracy. This means we ask people what they meant and search for greater evidence and meaning before impulsively jumping to conclusions. To increase your Gut Intelligence, check out your hunches to avoid impulsivity by getting a curious mindset. You can do this by practicing this one mindset mantra, "Hmmm...isn't that interesting, I wonder?"

Challenge: Is there a situation in your life where you can apply greater Gut Intelligence? Will you practice the "How might I...?" mindset?