CEO Today Magazine September 2019 Edition

THE GAME CHANGERS 65 www.ceotodaymagazine.com THE GAME CHANGE Chief People, DNA & Culture Officer TimeXtender Anne Krog Iversen The Answer is Inside Yourself In the mindfulness world, this state of deeper knowing is called “connecting to your highest intuitive self.” This is not to be confused with the emotional center of our body which is associated with events like falling in love or being head over heels, but rather, “living from the heart.” This is the process of being tapped into our best selves so we act congruently with our values. TIMEXTE DER Every single day of your business life can be hectic, with strict deadlines, lots of meetings and packed personal calendars. Most of the time, as passionate people with a heart-felt purpose, we like to work this way. However, if we don’t occasionally connect to ourselves, we start to function purely from our head with little heart, being less aware of how that affects the tasks at hand and the decisions we make. And on a near-daily basis, we’re faced with having to make important decisions and we find ourselves at an impasse. All the research has been conducted, all the interviews completed, all the mastermind sessions distilled and applied and you’re still left with struggling to try and make the ultimate decision. The decision-making puzzle can become even more convoluted when several choices look appealing. Adding to this is the fact that the harder we analyze a problem that needs solving the harder it can become to make the right decisions, more commonly known as “paralysis by analysis.” All of this clutters our mind and our business success. Further, we often hear that decisions should be made solely with our minds. But if you ask senior executives, entrepreneurs or change makers, many of them will flat out tell you that good decision making requires more than simply analytical thinking, facts and data. When push comes to shove and action is required, it often comes down to a feeling. Some may call this using their gut, others might tag it as instinct or intuition but the message is clear. To make balanced and integrated choices, both the intellect and the deeper sense of knowing must be in alignment.