As a business advisor there’s one piece of advice I find myself giving almost all of my clients at one point or another: “Go with your gut”. In an era of constant inputs – surveys, social media, management consultants, competitive and market analyses, etc., it’s easy to get caught up in a sort of paralysis. I believe we should all trust our intuition more than we do. I’m not suggesting we make reckless decisions. I’m saying listen to the inputs and the advice and in the end make the decision that just feels right. And, yes, sometimes that will go against the market research or go against what brilliant (ahem) strategists might advise you to do. More often than not you will make the right decision. Trust yourself more often.

There’s a story told about President Ronald Reagan (who I think no one would accuse of being indecisive). His method was to hold cabinet meetings about an issue, listen quietly while his team would discuss, debate, argue (sometimes to the point that his cabinet secretaries wondered if he was listening), and then stand up and say “Here’s what we will do.” He went with his gut, his intuition. A decision had been made; even if it was against what his advisors had recommended. Now, I know that people’s political positions can make that story hard for some people to get past. But, imagine a business leader who makes decisions that way. Imagine yourself making decisions that way – boldly, confidently.

Think about some of the bigger decisions you made in the last year or two. Would they have been better (or would they have been any worse) if you just went with your intuition? You know your business better than anyone. You’ve been calling the shots. You have built up a large store of knowledge and perspective about what it takes to make your business successful. I say listen, weigh the options, and then go with what your gut tells you. One of my personal goals for this year is to do this more often – and I hope you will too!