More bad career advice: Is intuition foolproof?
I’ve always been suspicious of the “just ask questions” school of career advice.
The idea is, deep down you know the answers to your own questions. You know what you want to do. So a good career coach will “drill down” till she helps you make your own decision.
I don’t agree.
Intuition works off information. The more familiar you are with a situation, the more your intuition kicks in.
There’s a famous story of a firefighter who entered a burning building and ordered everyone out, immediately. Seconds later the roof fell in.
On one level, he “just knew.” On another, he had been through so many fires he was picking up subtle cues that others missed
During a career change, you’re on unfamiliar territory. Intuition may mislead or even shut down.
Sometimes you just need a few pieces of information.
One client wanted to become a trainer or professional speaker. But she was also a single parent to a 12-year-old so she couldn’t travel.
Were there opportunities for trainers in her own city? What I said was, “In my experience, every trainer I’ve ever met has traveled. But I advise you to talk to some professionals in your own city. Maybe the field has changed. Maybe there’s a niche for non-travelers. But you need to get this question answered before moving forward.”
You have to be ready to receive guidance, from a person and from the environment.
You’re probably heard the saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher will arrive.” I’ve found that when I’m really ready to move to a goal, I find the “right” advisors. I pay attention to signals.
That’s why so many people talk about the importance of “mindset” for success. When you really want something, you’ll find support everywhere.
Success is not guaranteed. It’s just more likely to happen.
More on intuition: Teach Your Intuition to Send You a Telegram, Not a Post Card.
I disagree with your disagreement with the premise of “The idea is, deep down you know the answers to your own questions. You know what you want to do. So a good career coach will “drill down” till she helps you make your own decision.”
An intuitive decision is generated by the human subconscious mind only to arrive at conclusions that are strictly designed to benefit the person ONLY. The key is that the rational mind has no involvement in intuitive decisions, whatsoever. Intuitive decisions cannot be explained or justified. They just happen. But they are virtually always the right decisions for the person. But others frequently dislike them.
Gavin DeBecker said it best. “Human beings are the only mammals that will override their own god given self-preserving instincts.”
The premise of career coaching is that humans cannot really see or understand themselves. Just like humans cannot see their own face. The coach provides a clear accurate, non-judgmental mirror into the five core ingredients that make up who we are. Once a person discovers these core ingredients through coaching, then the person will have the understanding and purpose to go out and gather the additional outside information he or she wants to complete their decision process. But random information or advice without the clear knowledge of deep purpose gained only through intuition is valueless.
Even your example about the parent who wanted to become a speaker, but her intuitive choice told her not to leave her surrounding area supports the intuitive decision process. You contended that she needed to get information from other speakers to realize her restrictions. Why? Those are the rules and conditions created by others, which restrict her intuitive decision. She could certainly create her own conditions to speak only in her chosen area, by creating her own different local culture to meet her own intuitive standards.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I like DeBecker and the quote (although I must say my dog sometimes eats self-destroying garbage).
Re the person who wanted to become a speaker: I don’t think intuition was involved here. She honestly didn’t know about the field. You are right: she might have been able to develop a local speaking and training business. It’s not easy because organizations keep wanting new and different speakers. She could certainly try.