There’s a lot of literature on trusting your gut.
But, it’s wrong.
Your gut is not always trustworthy.
Here’s why:

Imagine sitting in a meeting. You’ve just presented your thoughts on a project. A colleague looks over at you like you just coughed up a hairball onto the conference table. Then, someone makes a joke – a not-so-cleverly disguise put-down. You see another person trying to muffle a laugh.

At this point you can feel a churning in your gut.
It’s your inner Neanderthal waking up from a nap.

Yes, there’s a Neanderthal inside you.
There’s a Neanderthal napping lightly in your nervous system. He (or she) is on the lookout for danger – monitoring the environment for threats.

Your Neanderthal interprets any challenge to a life or death scenario.
And while logically, you may know better, your Neanderthal cares little for your logic.
Your Neanderthal knows only pure gut reaction unmediated by nuance or reason.
And he/she can’t tell the difference between the imminent attack of a saber toothed tiger and a difficult business meeting.

That’s why trusting your gut isn’t always a good idea.
Not all gut reactions are created equal.

There are two kinds of gut reactions.
There’s the Neanderthal Alarm – which is perfect if you meet up with a saber tooth tiger.
And there’s another kind of gut reaction that I call the Congruence Alert.

Let’s examine them both.

The Neanderthal Alarm works well when something is threatening your very existence.
Your Neanderthal keeps things simple.
If something appears to be threatening you, your Neanderthal assumes it needs to be destroyed or avoided.
Your Neanderthal sees only two options: fight or flight. No gray area.

Neither of which are usually appropriate at work.

That’s why – in most work situations – the best response to a Neanderthal Alarm is to breathe.
Breathe slowly and deeply. Take your attention off the apparent threat and focus on soothing the Neanderthal with full, relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing.

Despite the sense of urgency it creates, the Neanderthal Alarm is not a signal to act.
It’s a signal to stop.
To breathe and re-balance yourself.
It’s a primitive response that rarely brings out your best. The wisest response is to cool out.

But, there is another kind of gut reaction that you need to pay attention to.
This is your Congruence Alert.
Your Congruence Alert is not focused on destroying or escaping external threats.

The purpose of your Congruence Alert is to get you to pay attention to the alignment of your actions with your values.

Your Congruence Alert goes off when you are in danger of abandoning your core values.
Its purpose is to help you live congruently with your core values.

So, imagine that you’re in a meeting:
The team is about to make a decision that will have long term impact.
Your boss has clearly stated her opinion and the rest of the team seems to agree.
But, you’re not so sure.
Do you voice your opinion? Or do you sit quietly?
As you sit there, you feel restless. Your face is hot and there’s a churning in your gut.

What’s going on? There’s no external threat.
So, what’s up?
It’s your Congruence Alert letting you know that you’re teetering on the edge of incongruence. Of potentially acting in ways that don’t fully reflect your core values.

You’re at a choice point, a fork in the road.
Your Congruence Alert is there to make sure that you pay attention. It’s there to help you realize that you can choose – even in complicated situations – to act in ways that are congruent with your values.

Your Congruence Alert is your ever-present coach.
It’s built right into your body.
When you start to turn away from your core values – the Congruence Alert will let you know.
It feels distinctly different from the blood curdling rush of the Neanderthal Alarm.
But, you need to figure out the feeling difference, yourself.
Because, the physical dynamics of your Congruence Alert are individualize.

The key is to distinguish the difference between the two.
Just because your stomach is clenching or your heart is pounding doesn’t mean that you’re feeling a Neanderthal Alarm.
Every intense bodily reaction doesn’t need to be soothed into submission with slow, rhythmic breathing.

That churning in your stomach may be a Congruence Alert trying to get your attention in the only way it knows how – through your body. It needs to be heeded not smoothed over.

How can you tell if a churning tummy is the call of the wild or the call of your values?

Become a student of your gut reactions.

Learn to distinguish the difference between the Neanderthal Alarm and the Congruence Alert. They’re different.

And your Congruence Alert will have a definite physical signature. Get to know it.

Then, when you sense the Congruence Alert is active — focus inwardly and ask yourself:

•    How is what I’m doing incongruent with my values?
•    What are three ways to change what I’m doing to be more congruent with my values?

Because all gut feelings aren’t created equally. Some are there to protect you from wild animals. Others are there to help you live in alignment with your core values.

Related posts:

1. How to have more influence: A 12-second tutorial
2. Strengthening Integrity: A 10 second tutorial
3. What can a bathroom remodel teach you about Core Values?