5 Ways to Leverage Intuition As Your Superpower
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Have you ever been in a situation where you had a strong feeling about something but just didn’t heed it? Maybe it was a decision your team was making. You might have spoken up, but you were talked out of your concern, and you gave into the group… only to be frustrated when your instinct was actually correct.
For years, I found myself in such situations, frustrated because I didn’t trust my gut or defend my instincts more. The problem was that I could rarely defend my perspective. It was seemingly just that - my perspective. And although it often proved to be correct, it wasn’t helpful in hindsight. I had to learn how to articulate better and defend my thoughts.
As women leaders, we often have a “feeling” about things. You might call it your gut, intuition, or discernment… but whatever you call it, you sense when things aren’t quite right in your organization. Whether it’s a decision you don’t feel comfortable with, a struggling team member, or a leader who is not operating from a healthy place, you often sense a problem before you can specify the symptoms. What’s worse is when what you feared comes to fruition, and you’re beating yourself up for not naming it sooner.
An article by Dr. Michelle Martin defined intuition this way:
“Intuition is defined by researchers as our brain's ability to draw on internal and external cues in making rapid, in-the-moment decisions -- an important skill, particularly in high stress situations. Often occurring outside of our conscious awareness, intuition relies on our brain's ability to instantaneously evaluate both internal and external cues, and make a decision based on what appears to be pure instinct. When people make decisions based on their intuition, they often have difficulty explaining why they did what they did.”
Dr. Martin goes on to explain why this natural instinct can also be quite problematic for women:
“Women are commonly believed to have stronger intuition than men (which is why we call it women's intuition, and not men's intuition), but this inclination is often undervalued in our logic-based society. As women, we are taught at an early age to ignore our intuition, and trust in the wisdom of others instead. We're also likely to be criticized for being too sensitive, too emotional, too dramatic, and too illogical when we're operating off of our intuition. This constant barrage of criticism can cloud our judgment and make us doubt ourselves, and our instincts.”
What if your intuition is the very thing you’re meant to bring to your organization? What if rather than second-guessing yourself, you had practical skills to voice concerns in a way that they can be understood and acted upon? Here are five ways I’ve found to test my intuition and be more confident in leading from it.
5 Ways to Test Your Intuition
Stop to think. Rather than rushing ahead with your gut instinct, spend some time thinking through it. Why do you feel strongly about this? How can you better articulate it? Taking some time to think through it often gives you greater clarity for how to communicate what you’re discerning in a more helpful way.
Know your strengths. Your strengths are often the areas where you are much more intuitive. If you’re highly detailed, you quickly pick up on communication gaps. If you’re very relational, you often sense when a relationship is not right. Knowing your strengths (often aided by the use of a personality tool like Myers-Briggs, DISC, or Working Genius) will give you clues to why you instinctively react in certain circumstances.
Evaluate all perspectives. Trusting your gut is not a license to ignore other perspectives. Other people also have good instincts. Listen to other perspectives and evaluate those before committing to yours.
Support with data. The best decision-making is done with both instincts and data that supports the decision. Before jumping to a conclusion, seek out data that will help give you confidence in the direction you see.
Quit waiting on validation. Many times I held back because I was hoping someone else would see the same concern and validate my feelings. That’s not what leaders do. Leaders go first. When we see an issue, it’s our responsibility to raise the issue and help bring it to resolution. My fear or timidity was keeping me from being the leader that I needed to be. You will often feel like you’re the only one who sees the concern or problem and you’ll be tempted to second guess your instincts. Appropriate evaluation of your instincts is important but many times the very reason you’re in that seat is to bring the issue forward.
One of your superpowers as a female leader is your intuition. The more you can articulate the why behind your insights, the more chance you’ll have to use them to lead well.
Next time you find yourself instinctively reacting to a situation, work through these five steps and lead more confidently through your intuition.
Jenni Catron is a leadership expert, author, and speaker dedicated to empowering leaders to cultivate healthy cultures and lead thriving organizations. She speaks at conferences and events nationwide, seeking to help leaders develop the clarity and confidence to lead well. As Founder and CEO of The 4Sight Group, she consults organizations on leadership, team culture and organizational health. With over 20 years experience in corporate and non-profit organizations, Jenni has a passion for helping leaders “put feet to their vision”.
Jenni is the author of several books including her newest book, Culture Matters: A Framework for Helping Your Team Grow, Thrive and Be Unstoppable releasing February 11, 2025.
She loves a fabulous cup of tea, great books, learning the game of tennis and hiking with her husband. Jenni can be found on social media at @jennicatron and at www.jennicatron.com.