What Do You Do When You Don’t Know the Answer?
FRAN GALLAHER
Guiding Women Executives 45+ to Lead with Intuition and Confidence While Navigating High-Stakes Decisions—Using Intuitive Access to Create Immediate Connection and Transformative Insights l Keynote Speaker | She/her |
What do you do?
Of course, you have a lot of strategies:?
What if you did this instead of or in addition to those other strategies??
What if you relaxed into the not knowing? What if you hung out there, in the not knowing, maybe even enjoyed the vastness of this one point of not knowing amid all that you do know? What if you could be comfortable in the not knowing, not letting it make you feel less than or somehow at fault?
What if you could tolerate the fear or the panic or the frustration or the annoyance or the bafflement and just be with the not knowing?
As a faculty member of the Program in Intuition from the Kaiser Institute for nine years, I and my colleagues taught intuition and provided intuitive coaching to incredibly accomplished physicians and business leaders. We worked with a member of both the executive teams of Motorola and General Dynamics, the head of the VA and the CDC, the President of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and many other powerfully logical people who were ready, at last, to allow a bit of not knowing.
And what I saw was that me and these brilliant intuitive faculty members had one thing in common: we embraced the not knowing. We embraced the not knowing in ourselves and in our clients. We embraced the not knowing with calm, relaxed, expectation.
Why??
Because in the not knowing your logic might be—for once—blessedly silent. And that silence might stimulate your—or our—intuitive ability.
Because intuition is the other way our minds work. I know, you’ve built a career on your ability to be informed and logical and experienced and capable of astonishing amounts of analysis. But intuition has the capacity to blow all that away with one stellar insight, one aha moment, that can transcend minutes and hours and days of analysis.
Because while your left brain is busy with a and b and c, your right brain can make the leap to q.
Because all that knowing, all that experience and analysis, is great preparation for a moment of intuitive insight—if you give your brain that moment.
Pause. Be quiet. Heck, maybe even do a little meditation! Or DM me and we will do that together. Unless you ask, I won’t sell. We’ll sit there in the not knowing, hoping that logic has run its course and will, at last, be quiet for a moment.
Scared? I get it. We’ll face it together, you and me. But only if you reach out and give the other way your brain works a shot.
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2 个月FRAN GALLAHER what a gift you're giving me; permission to not know. I think that's one of the hardest things about being a leader; not knowing everything. Heck, I expect leaders to have all the answers even though logically I know that is not fair. What should we pay attention to in our body as we are sitting with "not knowing"?
Scale Your Impact and Income w/o Sacrificing Your Sanity ?? Business Growth Strategist for Coaches ?? Scalable Genius Method? ??? Podcaster ?? Co-Founder GEM Networking Community
2 个月I can certainly learn more about “relaxing into the not knowing.” It's a powerful shift from constantly needing to know the answers. Using intuition as a tool for breakthrough thinking is something many professionals could benefit from developing.
Business Mindset & Alignment Strategist ? Creating communities for entrepreneurial women to prioritize work-life harmony. Overcome overwhelm. Radiate confidence. Use stress as a strategy for success!
2 个月Great post, Fran! It's so true that we often lean on logic and analysis, but there's something powerful about giving space for the unknown. I find that those moments of "not knowing" often lead to the biggest breakthroughs. How do you help leaders get comfortable with that initial discomfort of not having all the answers?
From Conflict to Resolution in your 1st Session I Achieve Higher Profits & Enhance Performance by Resolving Your Relationship Challenges | Relationship Expert I Founder of The Family Imprint Institute
2 个月This has definitely been my growing edge lately, leaning into the unknown & building trust while I'm there. Thanks for bringing this important topic forward.
The Fusion of Timeless Leadership Principles and Forward Thinking Strategies to Thrive in an AI-Centric World | Former Global Head of Human Resources | Certified Executive Coach | Team Coach | Possibiltarian
2 个月FRAN GALLAHER. Great post; it makes me think about how jazz musicians approach improvisation—letting go of the sheet music and trusting the next note will reveal itself. There's something beautiful about leaning into the unknown and letting it guide us.