Instinct. Intuition. Gut feeling.
In a world that constantly keeps talking, keeps shouting, keeps writing and never stops sharing, we are slowly losing our capacity - or innate ability - to listen to ourselves.
Millenia ago, the hunter-gatherers' survival was largely dependent on their ability to listen to the silence around them, to notice the movement of the trees in the wind (so they can ascertain whether the game could smell them), and to observe the behaviour of their pack: often including the ancestors of today's dogs.
I don't know about you but, every time I am in a group meeting, I take time to observe the politics around the table. That observation, to me, is much more powerful and "qualitative" than 100 staff surveys or corporate policies: the former doesn't lie, the latter almost always paints a picture that is not real.
In my line of work, or for me at least, it's not the social media execution or the ad buys, or the marketing collateral that matters; it is getting to the bottom of the issue and making sure that I can work with what is there and, most importantly, that the team who is deploying the initiative (as in the C-suite team), can actually get over the internal politics, agendas and friction, and can mobilise behind one objective.
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How many times have we seen someone smiling, yet their eyes were cold and inexpressive? Did that mean that they were amused or pleased by a situation? Of course, it didn't - it meant they were either putting up with it, or they were simply being polite. Micro expressions cannot be controlled.
My instinct and intuition have helped me enormously along the years, but I never relied on them alone; to do that would be very dangerous because the environment we operate in is much more complex than that of the hunter-gatherers of millennia ago.
I listen to my instincts, and then I read the 100 staff surveys and corporate policies - combined, the intuition that stems from our own ancient DNA together with the research and analysis that we can gather from the hard data made available to us, are exceptionally powerful.
How about your experience? Does the above ring true?
Consulting clinical hypnotherapist and Master Mariner
1 年The gut is full of neurons and where most of our serotonin is made. You can think of it as a centre of intelligence in its own right. Feeding it correctly matters a lot too.
Head of Public Affairs at University of Nottingham
2 年A much-needed piece Ella. Professional instinct matters. It is based on the maturity of your experience. I am learning to trust mine much more. The results are always better when I do.
Chairman’s Award GM/NED/Professor Chemical and Environmental Engineering/Mentor & Sponsor to 1000s/POWERful Women Ambassador/IChemE Davidson Medal 2024/TechWomen100 Gender Balance 2024/WES Men As Allies 2024/Gym fanatic
2 年Agree Ella. I think empathetic learning where we listen for what's not said remains the key to communication excellence.
Here's a startling thought. Everyone who has ever lived did so in the modern world (to them). Decisions have always been complex and based on imperfect information (so requiring a mix of information and instinct). As Steven Pinker reminds us, contrary to what we think we live in generally peaceful and non-perilous times - and that has rarely been true in the past - though the climate crisis brings peril closer and closer to all of us.