What does it mean to trust your gut? How knowing your core values can guide strategic decision-making

What do you do when you need to make an important decision? Do you evaluate the options, create pro/con lists, and talk it out? Though that might be a common go-to process, we might not have any more clarity after trying it. It’s not that you aren’t doing the process right, it’s that it’s not a great process to begin with. 

Someone might give you well-intentioned advice to trust your gut. But how do you do that?! Especially if you are accustomed to outsourcing your authority to external influences, such as your boss or societal norms, this might feel nearly impossible. 

The reason "trusting your gut" feels so elusive is that it is not really a feeling. It is a skill. Your gut response to a decision is shaped by something underneath it, and that something is your core values. Before you can trust an instinct, you need to know what that instinct is measuring your options against. This is something we can practice. 

Start by identifying your core values

The first step is to get clear on what actually matters to you, not what you have been told should matter. Many of us have not spent any time thinking about our values, unless perhaps it was an exercise in our sports teams, faith communities, or first families. Researcher Brené Brown has written extensively about the importance of identifying a small set of core personal values rather than a long, diffuse list. 

In her book Dare to Lead, Brown argues that narrowing your values down to two or three is what allows them to function as a genuine decision-making filter, rather than an aspirational list that sits untouched (Brown, Dare to Lead, Random House, 2018). A list of core values can be accessed on her website: https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/ 

If you have never done this practice, you can start by circling the values that resonate with you, then eliminate. Alternatively, you can start with crossing out ones that definitely do not resonate with you. Slowly work your way to a shorter list. Some values might be related and one might act as a more accurate descriptor for you. Ask yourself, of these two, which would I protect if I could only keep one? Repeat that process until you are left with a short list of 2-4 values you can actually hold in your mind during a decision. This process can be something you work at in one sitting, or something that you revisit multiple times. 

The next step is to describe those values for yourself. How do you want to live them out? Resist the urge to simply define the word and instead reach for an actionable description. For example: “Curiosity means that I seek knowledge and meaning in my work and relationships.”

Using your values as a test for alignment

Once you know your values, decision-making becomes less about weighing options against each other and more about weighing each option against yourself. Instead of asking, "Which choice is best?" you can ask, "Which choice is more aligned with my values?"

This is a different question, and it produces a different kind of clarity. A pro/con list treats every decision as if it exists in a vacuum, separate from who you are. It is hard to give weight to any of the individual considerations. Values-based decision-making asks to prove that it fits you, not the other way around. This process is actually rather similar to how judges evaluate evidence based on factors in a legal test. The result is determined by evaluating the evidence against several questions or values. 

Visualize each scenario before you choose

Once you have a shortlist of choices that pass the alignment test, visualization becomes a useful next step in decision making. Take each scenario in turn and imagine yourself living inside it, like a film. Notice where you feel ease, and where you feel resistance to what you see. If you don’t have a visual imagination, you can try writing out the scenario with descriptive narration, like a screenplay. Determine whether the scenario asks you to set aside a value you have already identified as non-negotiable.

This process gives your gut a chance to respond to something concrete, rather than something abstract. A decision that looks reasonable on paper can still feel wrong once you picture yourself inside it, and this process can help you see and feel it. When you practice this exercise regularly, you can eventually develop the skill to the point of making a strategic and aligned decision in seconds, not hours or days. 

Trusting your gut, then, is not a leap of faith. It is the natural result of doing the groundwork first. Once you know your values, your gut is no longer a mystery. It is simply telling you whether the choice in front of you matches who you already are.

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Alanna Carlson is a lawyer, consultant and professional coach who runs her own legal practice and consultancy, where she helps organizations create workplaces where people feel safe, valued, and able to do their best work. She conducts workplace trainings, investigations, creates practice handbooks, does freelance litigation support and editing, and coaches busy professionals to identify their values, blocks, and find practical solutions. 

This article reflects the author's personal experience and opinion and does not constitute legal or medical advice.