By Ryann Dowdy, CEO/founder of Uncensored Consulting: Be in the Room, sales coach, business strategist and best-selling author.
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In business, we often talk about the need for a strategic mind. This is the part of you that is analytical, logical and focused on results. Many entrepreneurs and upper-level employees put their focus on this energy, but while a strategic mind is definitely important, following your intuition when it comes to running a business is just as important. This is the other side of your energy coin—the side of you that is intuitive, expressive, open to new ideas and sometimes unable to be explained with logic alone. Both of these energies are necessary for true growth and success in business.
Energy 1: Your Strategic Mind
This energy is analytical, focused on results and able to see the big picture. When it comes to running a business, this is the side of you that needs to take charge. It’s the part of you that knows how to take action and make things happen. This energy enables you to make decisions based on what would be most profitable for your company and what can help you reach your goals the fastest.
Energy 2: Your Creative Mind
This energy is creative and focused on intuition. This is the side of you that is open to new ideas, expressive and able to see the potential in things. It’s the side of you that may not have all the answers, but rather a gut feeling. This is the intuitive side of you, the part of you that knows which path to take and which decisions can lead to success based on your instincts—even if the path looks a bit messy or the numbers don’t always line up.
Logic And Intuition
Because I have a background in sales, I can tell you that people buy based on emotion and then justify with logic. This is a perfect example of balancing both sides of this energy coin. That initial emotional response is your creative energy, and then your strategic energy takes over and justifies your decision with logic.
When it comes to following your intuition in business, it’s not always that easy. That gut feeling you have to make a decision isn’t always backed by numbers or facts.
Numbers play an undeniably important role in business. They help to track sales performance, gauge the financial health of a company and make decisions about how to allocate resources. But at the same time, numbers can also be a bit constricting, forcing you to focus on cold, hard data and disregarding other important factors. In this sense, it is sometimes necessary to step outside of the numbers and trust your intuition instead.
However, there is also something to be said for trusting your intuition more than the numbers. Sometimes situations arise that can’t be captured in a number or explained through data analysis; these situations require a different kind of judgment and insight that can only come from within. This intuition is what gives rise to innovative ideas that can take your business to new heights. And while these ideas might not always make the most logical sense, they are often what enable you to succeed when others have failed. Remember, there is more than one way to be successful in this world—and all it takes sometimes is simply following your heart.
Competition And Collaboration
Competition is part of strategic energy, and it focuses on progressing alone. Competition can be healthy because it helps to motivate you to achieve your highest potential. However, it can also be limiting—because in a competitive environment there can only be one winner. It creates scarcity and a need to outdo everyone around you rather than abundance, or the idea that everyone can be successful.
Collaboration, a part of your creative energy, is about progressing as a whole. It’s about coming up with new ideas together while being exposed to new ideas and perspectives you simply cannot get when you are solely focused on competition. It’s an environment where everyone can win.
Competition and collaboration are also two sides of the same coin. On the one hand, competition drives us to push ourselves to achieve great things, while on the other hand, collaboration gives us the support and guidance we need to succeed. They both play critical roles in helping us unlock our full potential.
A Science And An Art
Running a business is both a science and an art. It is important to embrace strategic energy and have a solid understanding of the market, pricing models and other business aspects that rely on objective data. This is the energy that helps us plan carefully.
But at the same time, your creative energy helps you to tap into the creativity needed to stand out in a saturated market, come up with new ideas and create something truly unique. This is the energy that allows us to be flexible and willing to take risks and adapt as needed.
True growth, success and fulfillment come when you are able to find a balance between your energies. The strategic energy is associated with logic, data and strategy, while the creative energy is associated with creativity, intuition and collaboration. There are several ways to be successful, but when you are able to tap into and embrace both sides of this energy coin, that’s where the true magic happens.