|
The Newsletter | Edition 091
|
|
|
Progress Report is dedicated to providing inspiration for action. In our Off-White Papers, we provide practical guidance on how to respond to our rapidly-changing world. This newsletter explores those topics in real-time, with information and action steps on how to make progress now.
|
|
|
The world of strategy and design relies heavily on research to ground insights and decisions. Is there any room for gut instinct in the kind of work we do? And if there is, how can one build up those intuition muscles?
- Consider extenuating factors, from Lou Guy
-
Lean into uncertainty, from Claire Choi
- Let your experiences guide you, from Megan Jamieson
|
|
CHECKING THE GUT CHECKFrom Lou Guy
|
|
TL;DRIntuition (or gut instinct) isn’t a magical, infallible divination of the future—it’s a generalization based on your past experiences and expertise. While your initial gut instinct shouldn’t give license to disregard other factors related to the challenge or question at hand, it can be a secret weapon against exhaustive analysis, so long as you know how to vet it.
WHY IT MATTERS
- Intuition is REAL (thanks, science!), and we often make better decisions with snap judgments than we do after exhaustive analysis.
- Intuition and gut instinct are NOT the same as impulse: intuition is an insight based on expertise, while impulse is a reaction based on primal reflex.
- When it comes to areas of your own expertise, your knee-jerk reaction is data in and of itself. Just make sure you're coming from a place agnostic of extenuating factors. Regardless of your experience and expertise, the accuracy of intuition is affected by change, either in ourselves or the world around us.
- If the perfect is the enemy of the good, then the fear of looking stupid is the enemy of voicing your gut instinct. If you work in a fast-paced culture that’s shot through with Zoom calls and wants everything done yesterday, creating an environment where we’re encouraged to say the first (possibly dumbest) thing that pops into our heads is more important than ever—if not a critical component of success writ large.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Acknowledge gut reactions when they arise, and vet them by checking for situational factors that could be at play.
GUT CHECK CHECKLIST
-
Are you in a new environment? Culture and context are everything, and what applies in one environment may not apply in others.
-
Could this just be a primal impulse? Question anything driven by a survival instinct (hunger, lust, fear, aggression).
-
Are your emotions running hot? High stress, tragedy, and other life milestones introduce emotions that can mess with your intuition.
-
Is your gut reacting to a low-probability event? Humans are bad at assessing risk. Whether we’re talking about money, health, or safety, focusing on low-probability events can distract from more likely outcomes.
|
|
THE SPIDERMEN (PLURAL) ARE A GOOD THING From Claire Choi
|
|
TL;DRIntuition (or gut instinct) is your built-in grounding and guiding force, listen to it.
WHY IT MATTERSLearning to trust your gut comes with time, patience, and a lot of self-recognition and reflection—A.K.A. emotional intelligence. Somedays it feels like you’re one hundred percent aligned with yourself, riding that ultimate high when everything seems to be clicking into place. Other days, it feels like that one Spiderman meme where the Spidermen (plural) are pointing at each other after a break in the multiverse. You’re fighting the battle of internal uncertainty with multiple yous.
However you may be feeling, lean into it. Your intuition acts as an emotional check point, adding a layer of intention to research-driven work. It’s not about being right or wrong. It’s about the inclination itself.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Take the butterflies, goosebumps, and flash of clarity (or murkiness) as a sign that you’re listening.
TIPS
-
Feel all the feelings. Sit with how you feel. What is your gut telling you? And if the answer to that question feels unclear, maybe that’s an answer and next step in itself.
-
Verbalize all the verbiage. Ask the question. Share the light-bulb moment. A wise co-worker once told me, “You never know what the words you say will spark in another person, so please alway say what is on your mind. Unless it’s life or death, then maybe keep it in there a little longer.”
-
Do it all again. Your gut, physically and emotionally, will always be there for you. Water it; nurture it.
|
|
PAINT YOURSELF IN SELF-AWARENESS From Megan Jamieson
|
|
TL;DRFounded in 2017, London streetwear brand Corteiz is a manifestation of founder Clint 491’s intrinsic understanding of UK culture and high levels of self-awareness and self-assuredness. Instead of attempting to get ahead of what people wanted, Clint grounded his brand ethos in his audience’s present desire for freedom and nonconformity—uniting them through the lens of his own personal experience.
WHY IT MATTERSAs many attempt to make sense of Clint’s triumph, they often overlook the role his own intuition played in connecting with his audience. The fact is that he gets it. There hasn’t been a streetwear brand told through the lens of the Black UK experience that has gained this much global attention, and he made it happen.
By letting your own experiences, passions, and emotions guide you in the pursuit of connecting with others, you can uncover opportunities that you may have never encountered through rigid processes. And it also just makes the process feel more fun and human-oriented.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW
Walk with your audience, don’t sprint ahead.
TIPS
-
Get yourself a reverse coloring book, and practice being guided by your intuition as you wander outside the rigidity of lines.
-
Have fun when you’re deep in research, and let yourself fall down rabbit holes that may have previously been unexpected.
-
Trust yourself when you leave the house without an umbrella—you aren’t made of sugar, you won’t melt.
|
|
|
|
