Building Intuitive Teams

Welcome to this month’s edition of Intuitive Leadership Insights! Today, I want to focus on how to build an intuitive team that can collaborate, innovate, and make decisions more effectively.

You, as a leader, are not the only person who will benefit from developing intuitive abilities; the rest of your team can also reap these benefits. When members of a team learn to trust their intuition, it fosters a culture of creativity, open communication, and quick decision-making, all of which are essential for the success of a business; agree?

Let's take a moment and talk about building intuitive teams in business and why it actually matters. Grab a coffee, here we go!

Why Intuition Matters for Teams

There are a few reasons but I want to focus on the most important in business which is the overall success of a company and its team players.

When it comes to moments where you must come up with innovative solutions, respond quickly to challenges and pesky obstacles, collaborate in a more harmonic manner, teams that invite intuition to the table openly are more likely to be successful. Yes, it is true! Why is that though? Well, intuition actually enhances decision-making by offering insights that typically are not available through data which in turn, helps teams stay agile and adaptive in any challenge. If your team is struggling with innovation, problem solving, constant obstacles, maybe its time for a quick reset and then to invite intuition to the table?

How to Cultivate Intuition Within Your Team

Many leaders I have worked with have fought me on this one for several reasons. I have heard individuals say things such as they fear perceived lack of credibility, the fear the judgement from others or they confuse intuition with impulse. Many have an over-reliance on data and a lack of trust with intuition. These misconceptions (yes, that's what they are), prevent leaders from embracing intuition and new growth within the company; even within the team.

If you are a leader who is currently reading this edition and have been contemplating bringing intuition to the table, let me help you by offering 4 suggestions on how you could cultivate intuition within your team at your own pace. Pick one and go from there.

Suggestion #1 | Encourage Open Communication

As a leader, your responsibility is to create an environment in which team members feel comfortable sharing their intuitive insights without judgement or ridicule. This openness fosters trust, encourages innovative thinking and invites feedback.

Suggestion #2 | Promote Mindfulness Practices

Many companies have created spaces such as mindfulness and meditation environments for their employees; many. To name a few, Nike, AOL, Google, Apple, McKinsey & Co., Yahoo, Deutsche Bank and even Proctor & Gamble have been big fans of meditation within their companies. You can introduce mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or meditation, in team meetings or workshops.

These practices help team members tap into their intuitive abilities by calming the mind and enhancing focus. The Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic discovered that?mindfulness-based methods such as meditation can help in reducing?stress levels most especially for people who are involved in demanding jobs. It can make them?happier and more engaged. A happier and more engaged team member is then open to receiving intuitive insights more readily.

Suggestion #3 | Use Intuitive Reflection in Meetings

Why do we rush meetings so often? Did you know many breakthroughs and solutions arrive through reflection? I would suggest that after discussing data and facts, take a moment for the team to reflect on their intuitive sense of the situation.

Ask questions like:

• What feels right?
• What’s your gut telling you?
• What’s not being said that we should consider?
• What outcome feels most aligned with our values?
• Does anything feel off or out of place?
• What decision would give you a sense of peace or relief?
• If you had to decide right now, without any further data, what would your choice be?
• What’s your first reaction to this option, and why?
• What potential do you see in this that others might be missing?
• How would this decision feel in the long run?
• What would you choose if you weren’t afraid of making a mistake?

I would screen shot these questions, or jot them down somewhere for future reference and conversation starters. You'd be amazed at what comes to light. I'm not suggesting that you jump into Wednesday morning's meeting and ask them all, rather maybe one or two and see how the team responds.

Suggestion #4 | Celebrate Intuitive Wins

Its important that we celebrate wins, small or big. When a team member successfully uses their intuition to make a decision or solve a problem, again small or big, it should be recognized and celebrated. Why is this important? When we celebrate and validate it, we end up encouraging other team members to trust their intuition as well. Eventually, it spirals and becomes a staple within the teams processes.

The Benefits of an Intuitive Team

There are many benefits to cultivating an intuitive team, of course there is more innovation, more collaboration and they are adaptive to change. They also become better equipped to handle complex problems, they are more likely to take calculated risks, and overall; they work in alignment with a shared vision. These are the best of teams within a successful company.

If you are looking to create a culture of openness, trust, creativity, better collaboration and one that constantly spits out new and fresh innovative solution; you may want to invite intuition to the table. One thing I can promise you is that over time, this intuitive culture that you birthed will become one of your team’s greatest assets. Don't believe me? Look into Steve Jobs biography and documentaries, he was onto something!

Want to know more about building intuitive teams? Let’s connect on LinkedIn, where I share tips and strategies for cultivating intuition at all levels of leadership.

Respectfully,

Dr. Tara Murney - Intuition Coach for Business Leaders