Certainty and the Inner Voice

Perhaps nothing is as dangerous as a leader who is certain he knows what he is doing. Often so-called leaders and experts believe they know all there is to know, and that their knowledge is so complete, that they cannot make mistakes. The ego is a know-it-all. It likes to be right. Yet there is another Voice we can listen to. We each have an Inner Voice. Call it Intuition; call it God; call It Spirit; it speaks to us when we are willing to listen. We hear this Voice when we are willing to get our egos out of the way and listen to the prompting of the Inner Voice.

As humans, we develop constructs which are groups of ideas created for understanding the world. Constructs begin as opinions. As opinions appear to be verified, they become beliefs. Most constructs are useful. They provide a way of looking at something.

For example, I have constructs about leadership. When I coach someone I ask three questions:

1. Does this person take ownership, responsibility for their thoughts and behaviors?
2. Is this person responsive to others?
3. Does this person have clarity about mission, vision, and values? Does his thinking align with his talking?

These constructs are useful for me, but they do not tell me everything. At some point in my assessment, I have to acknowledge that I really don't know anything for sure. This opens me to learning. It helps me to step outside my constructs and see other possibilities. Recently I coached a manager. At our first meeting his first words to me were: "I hate my boss!" The hatred he felt was causing him a significant level of stress and pain. I set aside my constructs and became fully present with him. My role became that of a nonresistant listener and then a teacher of how hatred is created.

I helped him to deconstruct his hatred and dissolve it. Had I stayed within my constructs and been more certain of what needed to be done, I don't think I would have helped him. I needed to be uncertain. I trusted that if I emptied my mind of my certainty, that I would "know" what to do to help.

Our constructs have a hold on us unless they are questioned. The book, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, by Malcolm Gladwell, tells how "knowledge" creates prejudice. One example is in the world of classical music. Conductors and orchestra committees believed that women could not play musical instruments as well as men. When women auditioned, judges could not "hear" them because their eyes had told them that the women were inferior musicians. About thirty years ago they began using screens to make the auditions "blind". Musicians entered the room and played from behind the screen. Judges could only hear them, and had no idea what they looked like. At that time women made up about five percent of the musicians in professional orchestras. Now they make up fifty percent. When conductors and orchestra committees were unable to see the musicians they did a much better job of hearing them. What does this tell us?

The mind is not to be trusted. You can't believe everything you think. Knowledge brings certainty. Certainty blocks us from truly seeing what is actually happening. Orchestra conductors have expert ears that can assess musical talent quickly. Yet, they blocked their own expertise with false constructs they had about who was capable of musical talent. When we can acknowledge that the mind is a story teller whose stories are often not true, we can step back and ask for guidance. This is especially true in leadership. When the lives and the livelihoods of many people are influenced by you, you want your decisions to be for the highest good for all concerned. There is no way you can know all of the effects of a decision you make.

In 2002, the leaders in Washington D.C. believed that they could attain a quick and easy victory in Iraq. At the same time, many experienced military and intelligence people were doubtful. They sensed that this was going to be a much more difficult war than expected. They weren't listened to. The administration felt so certain about their agenda that they moved forward without heeding the knowledge and intuition of many of America's military and intelligence experts. Seven years later the War in Iraq continues. The cost in lives, international good will, and money has been great.

Often people put great trust in their leaders. When they disappoint us we criticize and blame. The truth is, many leaders do not know what they are doing. There is no way that they can. Well intentioned ideas often have unintended consequences. If you believe you are certain about an action, stop for a moment. Empty your mind. Let go of your attachments to particular outcomes. Let go of how you think the situation should be. When you do these things, you open yourself to intuition.

For me the evidence that helps me to trust the Inner Voice is what happens when I let go. When I decide to stop thinking about something; stop telling myself stories about it; stop blaming and complaining about it; stop resisting it; I release it to a greater Wisdom. When I relax and stop fretting and fantasizing and fixing it in my mind, I feel a sense of peace. That's when things start to happen. The person I was arguing with comes and apologizes. (Or, I realize I should apologize to them.) The problem I thought was so big is solved. The person whose actions I wanted to control does just fine without me. The person I was teaching tells me an insight they had as a result from my words. Sometimes nothing changes in the physical world, but I feel at peace about it.

The ego is all about trying to control what cannot be controlled. It is about fixing what is wrong and making it right. What if nothing is really wrong? What if, whatever is happening is just where you are in the process? Can you trust the process? Can you trust that there is a greater wisdom behind everything, and that if we just play our part, if we can just stay out of the way, that the process will move naturally toward wholeness? This is not about belief. It is about the recognition that ego centered thinking creates more problems than it solves. So we decide to stop directing things and allow ourselves to be directed. Be still, breathe, listen, and then act. Test it for yourself. "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

"Nobody has all the answers. Knowing that you do not know everything is far wiser than thinking that you know a lot when you really don't. Phony expertise is neurotic. Fortunately, once the symptoms are recognized, the cure is easy; stop it."
from- The Tao of Leadership, John Heider