As leaders, more often than not, the job of making the important decisions is left to us. It can feel daunting to make choices that you know could end in either failure or success, which is why discernment is such a valuable attribute to have as a leader. 

Discernment (noun): The ability to judge well, whether in relation to people, situations, or business decisions.

The word comes from the Latin phrase “Discernere” meaning to “separate” or “divide” with the suffix “ment” at the end of the English word meaning “to act.” This etymology of the word allows us to have a clearer picture of the goal of discernment; to separate our thoughts and ideas to reveal the heart of issues in order to act accordingly based on what you find.  

Discernment in leadership allows you to make decisions based on your personal experience, critical thinking, and engagement with your intuition. When you are faced with a decision or problem, discernment means taking the time to understand not only the problem, but each possible solution in order to find the right match for your company or life. 

It’s decision making based on what you already know about your team, the failures or successes you’ve seen play out in the past, and a firm grasp on your goals for the future that will lead you to making choices you can be confident in. 

There are some people who seem as if they were born with an innate gift of discernment. Somehow they always know the answers and how they want to move forward. That group however, is not the majority. For most of us, discernment comes with time and intentionality. It takes failure that you work to learn from, and intuition you practice honing to better understand.

Every leader has to make choices, but the best leaders know how to use their discernment in that process.  

So then, let’s take a look at three ways that you can practice discernment in your own life as a leader:

Examine the Past:

The reason athletes watch tape is to learn from both previous mistakes and successes made in the course of games in order to improve their future performance. As leaders, looking at the past allows us to learn from it, and in doing so, you make your failures mean something. While looking into the past you have the benefit of retrospect that allows you to see things more clearly and spot the root of the problem that led to your solutions success or failure. From there, if you are able to, articulate the heart of these issues you found and the lessons you learned in a few words to help you identify those same root causes in the future.

Learn How Others Think:

There are mistakes you haven’t made yet that others have-wouldn’t you rather learn from theirs than your own? Think of the leaders you yourself look up to and open yourself up to understanding how they think and act. We’re lucky to live in a time where there are endless resources to draw from be it books, podcasts, courses, and speaking events. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn from others mistakes rather than your own. 

Follow Your Intuition:

Think back to the times that you had a gut feeling that turned out to be correct. What did those experiences have in common? What did it feel like to take that leap of faith in your own intuition? How did it feel to learn you were right? Look for patterns in those moments and teach yourself to recognize that small instinctual voice that whispers under the current of your conscious mind-there is oftentimes immense power there. Give yourself a moment to breath and consider the things you already know deep down in order to make a decision you can feel confident in.

Knowing how to make informed decisions that you can be proud of will always be worth the work it takes to achieve discernment.

I hope you’ll seek out this valuable skill.

Lead Well,