Signs of Reliable Intuition - How to Differentiate from Bias
Dr. Tara Murney
Intuition Coach for Leaders | Empowering Business Decisions with Inner Wisdom | Transforming Entrepreneurs for Lasting Success and Fulfillment
As an Intuition Coach for business leaders, my goal is to teach leaders how fine tuning and trusting your intuition can be one of the greatest and most powerful business tools there are, something in which most of us were never taught in school or university. Although, as much as its a powerful tool, it’s crucial to distinguish genuine intuition from bias especially in the busy and often chaotic world of business. Knowing the difference ensures that your decision-making remains clear and effective, something all leaders aim for.
What Are the Signs of Reliable Intuition?
Learning how to trust your intuition takes practice and fine tuning. It isn't something that we are gifted with upon waking up on a Monday morning, much like our muscles it takes practice, consistency and effort to achieve mastery or a desired outcome. Many don't rely on intuition as they haven't quite fined tuned it enough to trust it but when we get to a point where we've done the work, it becomes a reliable source we can count on in our daily decision making.
Here are three (3) signs of reliable intuition ...
1 | Calm Certainty - True intuition typically comes with a feeling of calm and clarity. If you’re feeling rushed, anxious, or uncertain, it is most likely emotional interference rather than intuitive guidance. I wrote an article titled "Do You Believe Intuition Exists" where I briefly discussed fear vs intuition which you can read HERE. It is important to understand and distinguish between the two when building a solid foundation for intuition.
2 | Recurring Thoughts - Reliable intuition often manifests as a consistent, subtle nudge. If the same idea or feeling keeps coming up, it’s likely worth paying attention to. We need to slow down and be open to feeling these subtle nudges or hearing the whispers.
3 | Physical Sensations - Intuition often aligns with the body. A sense of ease and relaxation typically indicates reliable intuition, while tension or discomfort suggests otherwise. Start to log how your body responds to intuitive hits or how you felt during a meeting, a proposal or anything business related.
How to Avoid Bias in Intuition
First, it is important to fully understand what bias is and where its derived from.
Bias is when your brain makes decisions or forms opinions based on past experiences, preferences, or beliefs, often without you realizing it. We as humans, do this a lot! It’s like a mental shortcut that can sometimes lead you to see things in a certain way, even if that way isn’t accurate or fair. Most of us can relate to this in both personal and business life.
I'll give you a great but simple example:
Let us say that you had a bad experience with one type of business partner in the past, and because of this bad experience, your brain might automatically assume that all similar partners (now and in the future) are a bad choice; even if that’s not true for the current situation. I have seen and experienced this myself many times.
This is very important to note because bias can influence your decisions without you being fully aware, making it important to recognize when it might be affecting your thinking. Here are three ways in which we can avoid bias in intuition ...
1 | Watch for Emotional Interference - Be aware of your emotions, strong emotions like excitement, fear, or anxiety can cloud your judgment. Wait until you’re in a calm and neutral state before making major decisions. If you aren't good at distinguishing between emotions, dedicate some time with a professional coach or expert to help you; it will give you a huge advantage.
2 | Question Your Thoughts - It is important we reflect and question our very own thoughts, many times they lead us astray! Ask yourself whether this decision is based on either assumptions, past experiences, or fears. Challenging your intuition can help separate genuine insight from unconscious bias. In the digging is where we find the gold!
3 | Reflect on Past Outcomes - Reflecting on past decisions can help you recognize patterns in your intuition, helping you fine-tune it for future use. I am a huge fan of journaling and speak of it in almost all my work. When we keep a journal, we start to see patterns and clues, all of which help us fine tune our intuition and create better leaders in us all.
When Intuition and Bias Overlap
So what happens when our intuition and bias overlap?
It is essential to be aware of situations where bias can mimic intuition, especially when personal beliefs or past experiences strongly influence your feelings. Its only through practice that you can see the overlap which happens often and we aim to avoid.
As a starting point, I highly recommend learning how to focus on your awareness. Slow down. By staying aware, you’ll ensure your intuition remains a valuable asset in your decision-making. To help you, here are some great books on awareness, all of which I have personally read and own on my shelf. Start with the one that resonates the most, you don't have to read them all.
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For those who prefer video, check out these links:
Why is awareness so important when we discuss intuition?
Self-awareness is not just about what information we have, it is also about how much we pay attention to our senses. The books and video links I chose to share above can help you start getting to know yourself a tad better.
When one is 'self-aware', it doesn't imply you are perfect or you don't make mistakes, and sadly for many, there is no promise of protection from pain or sadness or regret either. None of that is self-awareness like many presume. Self-awareness sets you free from mental blocks that we may not have known about up until this very moment. This is important as once we learn to clear these mental blocks, intuition becomes easier to fine tune, to hear, to trust, to rely on and work with.
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Written by Dr. Tara Murney
Intuition Coach for Business Leaders
I help experts write books and design cohorts. ?? 19x Bestselling author, 150+ book coaching clients since 2016, cohort creator, & strategist. Future-proofing executives, entrepreneurs & consultants.
1 个月It’s also an extremely important and valuable personal skill!
Consultants ? Attract New Prospects ? Engage Them In Conversation ? Convert into New Clients Seamlessly on LinkedIn **Speaker**
1 个月Intuition is a powerful tool in business. It's unfortunate that it's not taught in schools, but I'm glad that there are coaches like you who can help leaders fine-tune their intuition.
??Verizon's Southwest Wellbeing Champion, Brand Ambassador ????????♂?
1 个月Let's go! I agree this is an important subject that should be covered in schools.