Canadian Government Executive - Volume 25 - Issue 04

D on’t ignore that gut feeling. Too often we clutch at analysis and ignore our instinct – a clear, distinct message from the inside, bubbling up because of our previous knowledge and experi- ence, perhaps because the seductive analysis is denying our intuitive, surprisingly solid logic. “It’s time for instinct to be respected as a deeper source of intelligence that enhances our every- day decision-making,” career coach Rick Snyder writes in Decisive Intuition. His book is aimed at business entrepreneurs, for whom stories of intuition are of course widely celebrated. But government executives can be entrepreneurs as well. While it’s obviously not a good career move to decline to write the detailed report your boss demands because your intuition is telling you clearly what to do, interpreting the right direction after the report is submitted calls for intuition. Indeed, Snyder argues with the ad- vent of artificial intelligence, big data and the dig- ital age, intuition is needed more than ever to bal- ance humanity and emotional intelligence with the vast swaths of data to make a good decision. He says that the conscious, rational mind is limited. Intuition is connected to a deeper intel- ligence inside all of us that enriches our lives per- sonally, professionally, and creatively. It’s a skill: Something you can learn, develop and refine. Five obstacles prevent us from taking advan- tage of our intuition: • The rational mind: The speed and volume of our thoughts, continuing from the moment we wake to the moment we go to sleep, push- es aside our inner signals and cues, prevent- ing us from seeing all angles of a problem. We enter deeper brain states when we access our non-conscious mind but that doesn’t happen easily. To reconnect with our intuition we of- ten have to deprogram from our default pat- terns of thinking – we know what we know so we don’t usually go further. We over-identify with our thoughts and assume that what we think is true. • Doubt: We second-guess our deeper knowing, thus, disempowering ourselves. “The destructive result is that we stop trusting ourselves. Doubt can creep in, especially when a situation seems risky and unfamiliar. As intuition is neither lin- ear nor predictable, it is a threat to the control aspect of the mind, which seeks order,” he notes. • Busyness: The overstimulation of our lives – what he calls “go mode” – orients us towards tasks that take us away from listening to our in- ner guidance, which requires stillness and space to access. Stillness helps us to be receptive and open to what is happening in the moment. • Fear: Intuition doesn’t come from our conscious mind and thus our known universe. We can’t control it – it is unpredictable and may rouse powerful feelings. We feel vulnerable. So we try to return to the comfort zone of the known and familiar. We need to lean into these fears, start- ing with trying intuition in small doses rather than on the dominant issues facing us. “Listening to, trusting, and acting on your intuition no mat- ter how much fear arises will build experience and confidence, and become one of your most valuable resources over time,” he argues. • Ego: We all have stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, creating and defending self-image. If those stories don’t include being intuitive – if your stories celebrate your logical skills and ra- tionality – you will block off intuitive feelings. He does counter this by arguing your intuition is rooted in a deeper source of authenticity. “It is about having the courage to say or express what you are feeling from deep within. Intuition threatens our nice little story we have about ourselves. This is great news, because we are so much more than we believe we are,” he says. If you push past those obstacles, there’s another. Executives want to seize control – plan and act. So plan to be more intuitive, and act. But it’s not that simple since he advises you don’t find your intu- ition, your intuition finds you. He still comes up with some options, with that Decisive Intuition By Rick Snyder Career Press, 246 pages, $25.95 24 / Canadian Government Executive // October/November 2019 The Leader’s Bookshelf By Harvey Schachter Decisive Intuition