Go With Your Gut

Even if it sounds trite, the old adage to go with your gut instinct holds true in so many situations. For example, I’m often asked to help clients hire marketing staff. One of the most important elements in the interviewing process for marketing roles is how you feel and react to the candidate in person. Even if you’re not able to be in the same room together, use tools such as Skype or FaceTime to interact with the candidate. Experience and education clearly count a great deal, but when you get down to it, determining if there’s a connection and rapport with the candidate can be your ultimate decision maker. One important lesson I’ve learned over my career is that you’ll never have the “perfect” amount of information to make a decision. There will always be more information to gather and analyze, but time often does not allow for that additional research. At a certain point you must review what you have, determine if it is enough to make a decision, and make it. Ensure that you have enough information to make an informed decision – blindly going down a path without understanding the consequences is not advisable – and go with your gut instinct. This holds true in my hiring example as well as important business decisions you make. Trust your instincts, talk to people you trust, research as much as you can, and take that leap!