Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic
Join me for a more personal look into the weekend sermons, as well as some thoughts on theology, marriage, parenting, and leadership. I will also explore some of your most asked questions throughout the year.
www.nic-williams.com
Beyond Sunday with Pastor Nic
Leading with Intuition: A Guide to Effective Leadership
Drawing from biblical wisdom and the inspiring story of Nehemiah, we emphasize the value of trusting in divine guidance and intuition. Nehemiah’s faith-driven leadership and ability to read situations without all the facts exemplify how intuition can lead to monumental success. Join us as we discuss why intuition distinguishes good leaders from great ones and learn practical steps to develop this invaluable skill within yourself and your team. This enriching conversation is designed to elevate your leadership game and provide actionable strategies to navigate complex challenges. Don’t miss it!
Welcome back to Beyond Sunday where, for the month of July, we're exploring the principles of leadership and personal growth through John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. If you're just joining us today, normally I'm doing sermon recaps and talking through marriage and parenting and leadership principles, but for this month, for a kind of a mini-series, I'm going back to my college days where I first jumped into this book, and it's a very meaningful book in my life on leadership for a lot of reasons. One, it was the first season that I realized, man, I actually can grow in leadership. I'm not just stuck with, naturally, what I have. I can get better. And it was one of those books that I began to dive into each one of these laws and it changed the way I lead. And in July every year I take some time to work on leadership and read a lot of different books, and so I decided this year I'm gonna go back to this one and, podcasters, you get to go through it with me. So today we're diving into the eighth law, the law of intuition. This law states that leaders evaluate everything with a leadership bias. Let's unpack what this means and how you and I can apply it to our leadership journey.
Speaker 1:In my leadership journey, I found that intuition plays a crucial role in making timely and effective decisions. Early on, I often relied solely on data and reports to make decisions. However, as I gained more experience, I realized that my ability to read situations, understand team dynamics and sense potential issues became just as important. Developing this intuition has been invaluable in navigating complex leadership challenges. I recall a particular instance where our organization faced a significant challenge. The data suggested one course of action, but my gut feeling, based on my understanding of the team's morale and the organization's momentum, pointed in a different direction. Trusting my intuition led to a decision that, although unconventional, proved to be the right one. This experience reinforced the importance of intuition in your leadership.
Speaker 1:John Maxwell defines the law of intuition by saying every person possesses intuition and people are intuitive in their area of strength. This means that leaders use their intuition to evaluate everything with a leadership bias. Intuition is not just about facts and figures. It's about understanding the nuances of employee morale, organizational momentum and relational dynamics. Maxwell explains that intuition is one of the hardest leadership skills to develop because it relies on more than just experience. It involves a natural aptitude for seeing all these factors at once and discerning possible actions and probable outcomes.
Speaker 1:Intuitive leaders tune into leadership dynamics. They can sense people's attitudes, detect the chemistry of a team and know the situation before they have all the facts. This ability is either natural or must be nurtured. Maxwell says of intuitive leaders they tune in to leadership dynamics. Many leaders describe this as an ability to smell things in their organization. They can sense people's attitudes. They're able to detect the chemistry of a team. They don't need to sift through stats and read reports or examine a balance sheet. They know the situation before they have all the facts. That is the result of their leadership intuition. Developing this intuition through experience and growth is invaluable because, as Maxwell says, whenever leaders face a problem, they automatically measure it and begin solving it using the law of intuition.
Speaker 1:Proverbs 3, 5-6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, and all your ways submit to him and he'll make your path straight. This verse highlights the importance of trusting in divine guidance and intuition over relying solely on your understanding. Consider the example of Nehemiah in the Bible. Nehemiah had a profound intuition about what needed to be done to rebuild Jerusalem walls. We've talked about Nehemiah a lot over this, the course of this mini-series because I think his story speaks volumes into so many moments of our leadership. He assessed the situation. He felt the people's morale. He took action before having all the details. His intuition and faith-driven leadership brought about significant change and success. Nehemiah's ability to read the situation and respond effectively is a powerful example of leadership intuition in action.
Speaker 1:Now, as I said, john Maxwell stated that intuition is the difference between great leaders and good leaders. This quote emphasizes how vital intuition is in distinguishing exceptional leadership. As you're looking at your team, you'll be able to see the people on your team that have great intuition, and it really does distinguish the good leaders from the great leaders. Another insightful quote is from Steve Jobs. He said have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. This highlights the importance of trusting one's inner guidance. Now, of course, if your inner guidance always leads you the wrong way, then you need to reevaluate your inner guidance. You need to spend some time developing that. But for most of us, we have these gut feelings. We have this intuition that we just understand what needs to happen next.
Speaker 1:Imagine a coach who can sense the team's energy and morale. Without needing detailed reports, this coach knows when to push the team harder and when to give them a break, sensing the dynamics at play and adjusting strategies accordingly. This intuitive understanding helps the team perform at their best. Consider the example of Walt Disney, who had an uncanny ability to foresee trends and understand what people wanted. His intuition guided him in creating some of the most beloved characters and stories, building an entertainment empire that continues to thrive today. Disney's ability to read the desires of his audience and his creative intuition set him apart as a visionary leader. John Maxwell shares a story about a CEO who had an intuitive grasp of market trends and employee dynamics. This leader could predict shifts in the market and make strategic decisions that positioned the company for success even before the data supported those moves. His ability to read the situation and trust his intuition set him apart from his peers. Another example is a military leader on the battlefield. Often, these leaders make quick decisions with incomplete information. Their intuition, honed through experience and deep understanding of their troops in the terrain, enables them to make decisions that can save lives and achieve strategic objectives. Now, as always, let's take just a moment and see how you and I can apply the law of intuition to our own leadership journey.
Speaker 1:Six quick things. Number one trust your intuition. Are you a facts or feelings person? Learn to trust your intuition, especially in the areas of your strength. Reflect on your feelings and consider how often you know the right thing to do before you have facts to support it. This involves recognizing patterns and using your past experience to guide your decisions.
Speaker 1:Number two develop your strengths. Work on your greatest natural talents. Spend time honing these skills, as they will enhance your intuitive abilities and leadership. For example, if you're naturally good at reading people, focus on improving the skill through practice and learning. Number three is just that read others. Key to leadership is the ability to read others. Others. Key to leadership is the ability to read others. Are you able to recognize or sense the emotions of others? Can you foresee what others are thinking and feeling? Grow your leadership ability in this area by reading books on relationships, having more conversations with others and being a people watcher. This will help you understand and anticipate the needs and reactions of your team. Number four leverage team strengths. Learn to think about how you can utilize the strengths and resources of those you lead.
Speaker 1:Reflect on projects or goals and consider how you would accomplish them. If you were not going to do any of the work, who would you use? How would you motivate, empower and inspire them to complete the project or goal? This exercise helps you develop strategic thinking and delegation skills. Number five practical tool Keep a note card. Keep that note card with the following information for any project who is the best person that can do it? What resources do we have to accomplish the goal? What will it cost? How can I inspire those I lead to accomplish the goal? What will it cost? How can I inspire those I lead to accomplish the goal? This simple practical practice helps you apply your intuition in practical ways and ensures that you are always prepared to lead effectively.
Speaker 1:And number six reflect on past decisions. Take time to reflect on past decisions where you relied on your intuition, analyze the outcomes and consider what you learned from those experiences. This reflection will help you fine-tune your intuitive abilities and increase your confidence in using them. Remember, leaders are readers of this situation. They're readers of their trends, of resources, of people and themselves. By developing and trusting your intuition, you can enhance your leadership effectiveness and better navigate the complexities of leading others. Now, today, we explored the law of intuition and how. Evaluating everything with a leadership bias, understanding organizational dynamics and developing intuitive skills through experience and growth are crucial for effective leadership. Understanding and applying this law can transform the way you lead and impact those around you. Join us next time as we delve into the ninth law, the law of magnetism. I promise you won't want to miss it. Thanks again for listening to today's podcast. If you've enjoyed it, subscribe, leave a review, share it with a friend. Until next time, keep growing and leading with purpose.