We all know that when your gut makes a decision it’s usually much better than when your head does. I’ve listened to many people talk about how they decided to do things. Oten they mention that they thought about it too much and came to a bad decision. Rarely does someone say I went with my gut response and it was wrong.
Usually it’s the opposite: I didn’t listen to my gut and so made the wrong decision.
For quite some time I’ve been using this in talks and consulting to guide people towards understanding that emotion is what leads to most decisions and the facts then merely justify what has already been decided. For some reason this is hard for many to grasp and so they continue to think that facts will attract new customers and keep existing ones.
Apparently they haven’t heard about Apple.
This week a client sent me a link to a short Tedx video by Simon Sinek. I am embarrassed to admit I never heard of him or his ideas. Embarrassed because while watching it I realized he has so much more elegantly expressed my thoughts than I have. He calls it The Golden Circle.
Rather than try and re-state what he has so perfectly laid out, I send you to this Simon Sinek Tedx video. I highly recommend you spend a few minutes watching it for it will change your thinking about how you lead.
I must admit it is difficult for me to send you along to Sinek for somehow it seems to imply inadequacy on my part. I thought about it for quite awhile as I decided what to write this morning. Then I realized that I’ve often told the story of how all the exceptional leaders I know will tell you that they really aren’t that good. They’ve just managed to surround themselves with exceptional people with skills that far exceed their own.
Not that I am such an exceptional leader, but I suppose I must follow my own words. Find those with exceptional skill and let them shine. The umbrella of their success will cover you too.