Listen With Your Heart, Decide With Your Mind

How do you like to make decisions?

I'm a fact-based guy who likes to keep the emotions out of the decision, so there's my bias. Some people are emotions based deciders and don't like the facts to get in the way. What if we considered both the heart and the mind?

I'm learning to listen better, with my heart. To hear what is really going on and not just what I think I hear through my heavy filters. Sure, one of those filters is my heart, or how I feel. That requires a certain mindfulness to be able to discern which emotions am I bringing to the decisions apart from which emotions is the decision bringing about.

Yes, there is a difference. By finding a place of center, of neutral feeling, we can hear what emotions are going on within the choices. We can better discover possibilities if we refrain from judging them for a while. We can better understand the full picture if we listen with a heart that's open.

If you want to supervise for success, listen with your heart but decide with your mind.

Recognize the emotions. Acknowledge the relationships and the attachments. Hear completely. And then rely on clearly validated facts before reacting. Maybe it's what you thought it was, and maybe it's something completely different. The key is to know, emotionally and intellectually.

How can you get both your heart and your mind involved in your decisions today?

-- Doug Smith

Front Range Leadership: High performance leadership training

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