A New Tool for Making Critical Business Decisions
The pressure mounts, it is time for you to make a strategic call, but you still do not know - for certain - if you will make the right decision. You keep starring at the problem, hoping for a new solution to appear.
Most likely, you have called in all the experts and read all the data. You have zoomed in to understand the intricate details of small levers at play and zoomed out to connect the dots to your corporate vision and strategy. Your stomach tightens and you mind drifts imagining the worst-case scenario…
We have all been there in one way or another; afraid to take a decision because we have no idea what the future holds. It is paralyzing and self-defeating.
Let me introduce you to a new way of thinking to help you make critical decisions under pressure. When mastered well, you can also use it to support colleagues in making decisions and even guide alignment amongst teams.
Holographic thinking enables you to think from a holistic perspective leveraging your thoughts, feelings, and gut instincts altogether. Utilizing all three dimensions intertwined leads to optimal results.
We will dive into each dimension separately while looking at aspects of interplay as well. It was first taught by me in my coaching training program at iPEC Coaching, which follows the philosophy of Bruce D. Schneider.
The Power of Thoughts
The realm of logic is where many leaders thrive. When you who view situations from a logical perspective, you speak rationally about topics pointing to facts and figures and starting sentences with “I think”.
It is inherent for many of us to make decisions from a logical perspective. We live in the era of information overload, with access to multitudes of data at our fingertips. We remove risk in making decisions when we can point to the data to predict a future outcome.
However, there are times when data can actually limit us. We get stuck in between not enough information (uncertainty) and too much information (overwhelm). On one side, we delay making decisions until the data is available and, on the other side, we experience paralysis by analysis. Our central processing power deteriorates as our thoughts go on overdrive and organizations miss out on the window of opportunity. Timing is everything when it comes to making the right call.
The Power of Feelings
In the realm of emotions, you often start sentences with “I feel” and look for outcomes that are enjoyable or less painful. When thinking from this perspective you tend to speak from your heart instead of your head.
Emotions are becoming more accepted in the business community and important to consider when making decisions. They can unlock employee engagement, motivations and behaviours. Understanding emotions is particularly important when it comes to organizational transformation which requires buy-in from team members across all levels. You can use the emotional perspective to understand how colleagues feel about change and what holds them back from moving forward.
PRO TIP: if your team has opposing viewpoints and it gets heated, try to guide the team back towards the logical perspective to drive the discussion forward based on facts and figures while de-escalating the emotions in the room.
The Power of Intuition
The realm of intuition brings us full circle. We are talking about your gut instinct. A strong sense of knowing the path forward without any evidence to support it. You can connect the dots, even when all the dots are not there. This perspective may sound like the most non-traditional of all three dimensions but it should not be discounted. There are countless stories when our intuition has known when something is off or feels right.
Intuition is becoming increasingly more important in this challenging economic climate. Business leaders, such as yourself, are required to make decisions that not only impact the trajectory of your business but people’s livelihood and ability to live well. It’s a ton of pressure and many of us live in fear of misstep.
In these moments, it can be hard to think through decisions and we often select the best worst outcome (as if there are only bad options at hand) instead of the best possible outcome. When we get stuck in these moments of analysis by paralysis and sitting in fear, we miss out on growth.
Now more than ever, it is important for us to slow down and connect with your inner knowing. Your intuition can sense when you are moving in the right direction (it feels right) or not (something feels off). It’s hard to measure and mostly shows up in hindsight, but it’s there. Trust your gut instincts.
Level up with Holographic Thinking Interplay
The best way to use holographic thinking is by simply looking at any situation from the perspective of your head (logic), heart (emotion) and gut (intuition). Give each dimension equal significance. Go through and see what comes up for yourself, your colleagues and your team.
Holographic thinking:
What do you think?
What do you feel?
What does your gut instinct say?
Observe the similarities and differences from each perspective and circle back to each dimension when it feels out-of-balance. It is a skill that is best mastered mastered hand-in-hand with Intuitive Listening.
