Use Your Gut
When data alone is not enough.
Act.
Feel.
Think.
Effective DecisionMaking in an OverThinking World
Shelley Row, P.E. MBA
Shelley Row Associates LLC
www.shelleyrow.com
[email protected]
443 994 3600
Twitter @ShelleyRow
Think. Feel. Act.
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©Shelley Row
Think. Feel. Act.
Use Your Gut: Effective Decision-Making in an Over-Thinking World
The association environment is more complex than ever with changing member expectations
and shifting board dynamics. You, as an association leader, make decisions daily. Many
decisions are small, some are big, some are simple, and others are complex. For complex
decisions, data only goes so far especially when the future is very different from the past. As a
leader, you must choose your decision and response wisely. You bring insight to each choice.
There are practical ways hone your decision-making. Qualitative research results from
interviews with 77 leaders combined with neuroscience shows that linking information with
intuition is optimal. Infotuition® is the decision-making balance point for any given situation.
Over-Thinking Decisions
Early warning signs of over-thinking:
• “We’re making this harder than it has to be.”
• “This is taking way too long.”
• “We’ve been over this again and again and again.”
• “We just need one more piece of information.”
• “Let’s make a pro and con list.”
Feelings aren’t in the way;
they’re on the way
Notice and Name
A core skill of infotuitive people is their ability to notice the state of their emotions and
feelings. When there’s too much thinking going on, notice the nagging feeling that
accompanies over-thinking and give it a name. That nagging feeling points to other aspects of
the situation that your non-conscious intelligence flags.
Afraid
Confident
Curious
Concerned
Worried
Relieved
Uncomfortable
Happy
Relaxed
Calm
Patient
Firm
Scary
Satisfied
Stuck
Heavy
Sad
Pleased
Tight
Suspicious
Unsettled
Annoyed
Intrigued
Embarrassed
Wary
Careful
Give Feelings a Place at the
Decision-Making Table
Dig In
•
•
•
•
•
Something is just not sitting right
Does anyone else have sweaty palms?
What’s bugging you?
I’m squirming in my chair about this; have knots in my stomach
Let’s do a gut check.
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Think. Feel. Act.
Knee-Jerk Decisions
Early warning signs for knee-jerk decisions:
• Hot-button issues
• Gets on your nerves
• Triggers an over-reaction
• Gets under your skin
Know it
Slow it
Probe it
And don’t blow it
Know It: Triggers and Somatic Markers
Triggers may be a situation, a word, a task, a story in your head, a person, or anything that
creates an over-reaction. A trigger launches a reaction that is:
• Bodily
• Emotional
• Mental
• Behavioral
Over-reactions take one of five
forms.
• Fight
• Flight
• Freeze
• Appease
• Disassociate
Adapted from Doug Silsbee’s Presence-Based Coaching (www.dougsilsbee.com)
Somatic Markers
Taken together, the brain, gut and the body’s neurological system create embodied
intelligence that supports infotuitive decision-making. How does your body alert you to a
situation that needs further consideration?
Tightness in your chest
Racing heart
Sweaty palms
Dilated pupils
Clenched jaw
Situation
Trigger
Flushed skin
Knot in your stomach
Hot under the collar
Chills running up your spine
Somatic Markers & Reaction
(Fight, flight, freeze, appease)
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Think. Feel. Act.
Slow It: Remove Yourself from the Heat
After experiencing a trigger, your nervous system is in an excited state. With practice, you
can help calm your nervous system calm down.
Step out or pause the meeting
Breathe deeply
Scan your body for tension then
Take a break from the triggering
event
relax
Relax your eyes & jaw
Exhale fully
Count to 10
Imagine a calm place
Visualize tension draining away
Probe It: What’s really going on?
Values
Lack of Knowledge
Lack of Empathy
Motivation
Bias
Stuck Stories
Aha Moment
Brain Break
Fill yourself with available information, notice your feelings and then take a break. Give your
brain a chance to assimilate both fact and feeling. For many, quiet and calm are needed to
reach an infotuitive state. Methods to take a time out:
Sleep on it
Do art
Literally step away
Play music
Take a break
Fish
Dance
Walk in nature
Meditate
Run, hike, bike, swim
Commute alone in the quiet
Quite time on flights
Find the decision that makes sense and just feels right
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Think. Feel. Act.
Shelley Row, P.E., MBA
Leadership Decision-Making Expert …and Recovering Over-Thinker
Meet Shelley…leadership decision-making expert, experienced executive leader, a former association
associate executive director, professional engineer —and recovering over-thinker.
Shelley works with association leaders, managers and boards who must make fast, insightful decisions
in the face of uncertainty, rapid change and ambiguity while simultaneously working constructively
with members and staff. In these situations, data and facts alone are not enough. Personal interviews
with 77 leaders confirm that the most effective leaders make decisions by gathering information
while also trusting their intuition. That powerful combination is what Shelley calls infotuition®.
Shelley’s programs assist you to get the right issues to the board and get to the right decisions quicker
by managing unproductive behavior and not wasting time looking for more information.
Using expertise gained through the NeuroLeadership Institute, Shelley assists leaders and managers to
develop a deeper appreciation of brain functioning so that they can bring more self-awareness,
objectivity and discipline to leadership behaviors and decision-making. Shelley’s one-of-a-kind
programs and original research are a must-have for the success of your organization.
Shelley’s work is grounded in more than just her research. She has 30 years in the transportation
industry. She is an award-winning leader and sought-after speaker. At the peak of her career, she and
her husband took a year off to live in France; the culmination of a long-term goal. Shelley knows how
to set and achieve big goals. She says you can’t think your way to the top.
Her most popular topics include:
• Use Your Gut: Effective Decision-Making in an Over-Thinking World
• Avoid the Leadership Pitfalls of Over-Thinking
• Achieve Your Goals: You Never Know Until You Try
•
Motivate and Manage using Infotuition®
•
Communicating Technical Topics for Non-Technical
Audiences
Sign up on www.shelleyrow.com for the
Newsletter for
Recovering Over-Thinkers
Shelley’s newest award-winning book:
Think Less, Live More. Lessons
from a Recovering Over-Thinker
Follow on Twitter @ShelleyRow
Connect on LinkedIn
[email protected]
443 994 3600
Available on
Amazon.com or
Barnesandnoble.com
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