Can You Trust Your Intuition? A Leader's Guide to Reclaiming Wisdom

"The Painful Truth About High Potential:

It was only our second session, and Adam, a man who could be any of us, sat across from me in my office. His face was a mirror of the turmoil he was feeling inside. It was over, and Adam, like many of us in similar situations, felt profound disappointment and regret.

When he hired William, he saw so much potential. William was bright, enthusiastic, and personable, and he had the hunger Adam wanted for his head of department.

Here he was, just nine months later, having to let William go; there was a disappointment and a flicker of something I don't think he would have even recognized until I said it. He responded, "Of course, that's it; I feel ashamed. Why didn't I see the signs earlier?"

"The Moment of Truth: When Did Adam Really Know It Wasn't Working?"

My response to Adam's situation was a simple yet profound question: 'Adam, it's been nine months since you hired William. If you reflect on this period and tell yourself the raw truth, when did you first start to, at least intuitively, sense that things might not work out?'

With his head tilted downward, he said, "Signs were showing up probably by the end of the first three months."

We've all found ourselves in similar situations. Sometimes it's a hire, sometimes it's a friendship, sometimes it's a long-term relationship. When we ignore those internal whispers, the price is always too high!

"The Hidden Costs of Ignoring Our Intuition: A Financial Metaphor for Life"

Let's see if we can understand what's going on:

We often conduct financial transactions through our bank accounts with entities we don't know. Money is put in and taken out of our accounts; this is a simple mechanism since we may even earn interest if we have enough money in the account. The downside is that we must pay interest if we don't deposit enough money to cover our outgoings.

Similarly to traditional banking, we may have different accounts for different reasons. In addition to financial accounts, psychological accounts must be protected from deficits.

Perhaps you've had an experience where you felt that a particular circumstance or person drained your 'Emotional Bank Account'. Conversely, we've all been in situations that overflowed our emotional accounts.

"Invest in Your Inner Riches: Understanding the Wisdom Account"

Come with me, and let's explore one of our most critical accounts, one that you might need to consider—your Wisdom Account. This account is unique as it's not directly related to financial transactions, but not monitoring it can be very costly.

Take a moment to ask yourself: What deposits into your wisdom account, and what makes withdrawals?

Let's start with what causes the withdrawals. Before I say another word, let me assure you: we've all done the example I'm going to give, so there's no shaming here because I'm at least as guilty as any of my readers.

The first thing that causes withdrawals from the wisdom account is when you "intuitively know" something, but you ignore that knowing, and it costs you, usually in many different ways.

The Neuroscientific Connection Between Intuition and Wisdom

Intuition involves rapidly recognizing patterns or coherence in sensory inputs without conscious reasoning, resulting in an initial "Inner knowing."

According to neuroscientist Antonio Damasio, who is a Professor of Psychology, Philosophy, and Neurology at the University of Southern California:

"...nonconscious emotional cues may play a role in decision-making before conscious processes do. He believes the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is part of a system that stores information about past rewards and punishments and triggers the nonconscious emotional responses that normal people register as intuition or a "hunch."

"Why Wisdom Matters More Than Ever: A Timeless Pursuit for Modern Times"

"Of all the pursuits open to men, the search for wisdom is most perfect, more sublime, more profitable, and more full of joy."

~ Thomas Aquinas

Wisdom is a unique human attribute whose value dates back to the dawn of civilization. Clinical investigators in the field have identified the subcomponents of Wisdom: Prosocial attitudes/behaviors, social decision-making/pragmatic knowledge of life, emotional regulation, reflection/self-understanding, value relativism/tolerance, and acknowledgment of and effective dealing with uncertainty.

From that description, we can see why Thomas Aquinas said, "Of all the pursuits open to men, the search for wisdom is most perfect..."

Empowering Decisions: How to Turn Setbacks into Wisdom Deposits

What's Unique About The Wisdom Account??

In the context of these inner "accounts," Wisdom is unique in that no one else can add to it. Only you can invest in or deplete your "Wisdom account." For that reason, the same thing that creates an automatic debit can make a substantial deposit quickly and automatically.

It's Not You: Recognizing The True Character of Others

There's a good chance you've experienced this; I know I have. You instinctively know it is wise to say "no" to that relative or friend who wants a loan. The "loan" will never return, so you know it. In spite of your recognition of the pattern, you still need to provide the requested loan, whether in money or something else.

When Ignoring Your Intuition Can Cost You: The High Price of Overriding Intuition

When you ignore that "knowing," you will automatically withdraw from your Wisdom account. Furthermore, you will see a further withdrawal from your Wisdom account whenever you reflect on what you did.

Transform Your Regrets into Assets: Converting Wisdom Withdrawals into Deposits

Instead of withdrawing from that situation, imagine turning it into a Wisdom Deposit. No, I'm not suggesting ten years of therapy for the person you would love to change but can't.

The Power of Saying No: How to Protect Your Wisdom Account

The good news is that you can change a Wisdom withdrawal into a Wisdom deposit. There are many ways to do so; in fact, let's walk through a few right now:

The first step is to make the difficult and often emotionally uncomfortable decision to trust your inner knowing. Your communication with this individual becomes crystal clear. This communication is delivered compassionately and with clear, healthy boundaries, stating that you will not provide the loan.

Breaking Bad: How Unlearning Unhealthy Patterns Can Enrich Your Wisdom

Much of our Wisdom comes from breaking unhealthy behavioral patterns. Although doing so may feel uncomfortable because it is unfamiliar, your Wisdom account automatically receives a deposit.?

Accountability: Your Secret Tool for Building Wisdom

You can deposit into the Wisdom account by being accountable. Ask yourself what happened to you emotionally and mentally when you went against the intuitive knowing.

Empowerment Through Self-Awareness: Turning Blame into Gain

When you recognize that you are ignoring your inner knowing and, therefore, victimizing yourself while blaming another person, you are empowered to stop. You make a large deposit into your Wisdom account at that moment of self-accountability. ?

It is also possible that you run the above scenarios in your mind and conclude that the person asking for the loan is acting in accordance with their character. It's not about you! They are just doing what they do!

From Recognition to Recovery: Boosting Your Emotional Bank Account

Expecting people to be someone other than who they have clearly demonstrated they are will deplete our emotional bank accounts. When you get this, Boom! There's a significant deposit into your Wisdom account.

Even though it was only Adam's second session, our discussion about Williams showed him clearly that he had allowed himself to make unnecessary withdrawals from his wisdom account. What's more, Adam began to realize that doing so was not exclusive to his professional life.

How to Integrate Wisdom.

Here are three tips to effectively increase your "Wisdom Account" based on the insights shared in the article:

1. Recognize and Respect Your Intuition: Start documenting when your intuition speaks to you and what it says. Keep a journal to note these moments and reflect on their outcomes. Your Wisdom Account will grow as you strengthen your ability to trust and act on intuitive insights, reinforcing positive outcomes and learning from negative outcomes.

1. Establish Clear Boundaries Based on Past Learnings: Implement what you've learned about setting boundaries. Knowing past experiences lead to wisdom withdrawals can help you say no to similar situations in the future. Practice saying no in low-stakes situations to experiencially build this muscle.

1. Engage in Reflective Practice Regularly: Reflect on recent decisions and their impacts on your Wisdom Account. Assess both the gains and losses. Continue learning from your past actions to increase your capacity for making wiser choices in the future.

In addition to preventing your Wisdom Account from depleting, these steps will enable you to make substantial deposits over time by learning from every experience and applying that learning.

Your turn:

Share your tips and insights in the comments below - your story could be the nudge someone needs to embark on their journey of change!

I trust that you found this article valuable; feel free to send this to your friends.?I eagerly anticipate your feedback and comments.

Ready to?unlock your?Emotional Source Code?and drive innovation within your organization?

Contact Dov Baron today?and take the first step towards a more inclusive and innovative corporate culture. I look forward to your feedback and insights:

With gratitude, respect, and curiosity, Dov…

About Dov Baron

Dov Baron?Guides Organizations, Leaders, and Teams to Create Fiercely Loyal Cultures of Belonging and Facilitate Authentic Communication to Generate Spectacular Innovation.

He is the leading authority on?Emotional Source Code? and the?Anatomy of Meaning?.?He has been named?5x of the world's Top 30 Global Leadership Gurus and twice by Inc. Magazine's Top 100 Leadership Speakers.

He?guides leaders, Icons, businesses, and teams?to harness their Emotional Source Code to create tribes of belonging that generate innovation, authentic communication, and fierce loyalty.

Dov Baron, Actualizer: Meaning Authority, Advisor to Leaders and Icons:

“Control The Meaning, and You Control The Movement!”

* Top30 Global Leadership Guru

* IncMag Top100 LeadershipSpeaker

* ???#1 Fortune500 Podcast

* Independent Contributor: Medium, ??Entrepreneur Mag

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Keywords

Wise Leadership, High Potential Leadership, Embracing Change, Leadership Challenges Personal Growth and Development, Neuroscience and Intuition. Emotional Intelligence in Leadership, Wisdom in Decision-Making, Overcoming Professional Setbacks, Workplace Psychology, Intuitive Leadership

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#LeadershipDevelopment #Wisdom #wizdom #EmotionalIntelligence #CareerGrowth #MindfulLeadership #IntuitiveDecisionMaking #ProfessionalGrowth #wizdom #Neuroscience #WorkplaceWellbeing #wizdom #LeadershipChallenges #Empowerment