Exploring the Inner Voice of a Hyper-Rational Leadership Pattern

What’s the character of your inner voice??

Have you ever found yourself relying upon the numbers, charts, and data, forgetting there's a human element to the decisions you make? If so, you're not alone. Many of us exhibit a pattern of hyper-rationality, where we prioritize stats and concrete evidence over emotions and intuition. This pattern isn't hardwired; it’s a learned behavior that can be molded and used strategically.?

Does this sound familiar… you’re in a meeting, faced with a tough decision and your colleagues share their gut feelings and concerns, but it seems irrelevant compared to the data on the spreadsheets in front of you. The numbers make sense, the data is clear, and yet, there's an undercurrent of unease in the room that feels like a distraction that you'd rather ignore.?

Problem is that when you ignore the Team’s input, you come across as intellectually arrogant, sometimes even cold and distant. In our drive to master knowledge and competence, we can sometimes alienate those around us. By treating feelings as distractions and valuing rationality above all, we miss out on the crucial human element that builds deep and flexible relationships.??

Let me share an example from my own experience. I once led a project where all signs pointed to a particular strategy – everything lined up perfectly. Yet, there were murmurs of doubt among my team. I brushed these aside, confident in my assessment. We moved forward, and while the project was technically a success, there was significant fallout in team morale and engagement.?

Data is undeniably important, yet it lacks the full picture. Feelings and intuitive insights, though less tangible, are crucial parts of the decision-making puzzle. Ignoring these can lead to decisions that, while logically sound, might not fully address the needs and concerns of your team.?

We might feel frustrated with others being too emotional or not rational enough. This skepticism can distance us from truly understanding our team's perspectives and needs. So, where does this leave us? As leaders, how can we balance our reliance on data with an openness to the emotional and intuitive inputs that our team members bring to the table??

Invite your team members to share their gut sense and feelings to augment the decision-making process. Ask for their perspective, listen to all of the ideas and opinions, then ask more questions to be sure you understand what they mean.? Even if their input feels impractical or irrelevant, acknowledge their perspective.? You might be quite surprised and hear some things you hadn’t considered.???

Hmmm wouldn’t that be something!?