We wake up every morning to a new day of challenges. Some are minor issues that could have been resolved by others. Some are important matters that require our decisions.

Minor issues have short-term and non-recurring impacts.  Major issues have long-term repetitive impact. The first ones don’t really make a difference in our life. The latter ones do make a difference and need utmost attention.

Let’s take for example a $5,000 dollar business expense. A business trip that costs $5,000 is a minor matter because it is a one-time expense. Yet, a new employee with a $5,000 monthly salary is a major matter because it is a long-term recurring cost which over 10 years will accumulate to more than a $1 million.

Purchasing a single $1,000 dress is just a one-time expense but a $1,000 monthly mortgage will cost us $0.7 million in 25 years.

Mistakes we make in small matters don’t make a significant impact on our lives. Right?  Yet, blunders on some matters can turn our lives up-side-down. Marry the wrong person and your life is miserable for years. Choose a profession which doesn’t make you happy and you end up unhappy for years.  Select the wrong business partner and you risk a successful business. These decisions are life changing. They take us on completely different life journeys. Good or bad.

People who lack discernment are seldom in the right place at the right time in their life journey.

Some people appear always to be lucky. It’s more likely that these people create their own “luck” by being discerning about what is most important. 

Discernment is determination of the value of a certain matter or event. We are going past mere perceptions, to make judgments about the matter or the event.

A discerning individual possess wisdom and has good judgment; especially with regard to matters often overlooked by others. Discernment is crucial for leadership success and nobody ever seems to talk about it. 

Here is a 4-step blueprint for moving toward being a discerning leader:

Switch from the lower brain to the upper brain

Our brain has 3 layers which have evolved over millions of years. They interconnect but actually act independently and are often at war with one another. 

The lower “reptilian”, primitive brain is the “fight-or-flight” part. It is all about acting and reacting without a lot of thinking. This is the brain that causes us to respond immediately to danger.

The middle “mammalian” brain is the place of our emotions. It’s where strong feeling such as love, joy, sadness, anger and jealousy arise.

The upper or “primate”, logical brain is the place of rational decision making. This brain collects data, analyzes it and makes practical decisions.

We don’t want to make decisions when our primitive brain is in control nor when our emotional brain is in charge. These two are responsible for a state of mind that might not be right for the issue at hand. How do we move to the logical brain? Just….STOP. Detach from the situation and wait until we are back to the rational, logical, lucid zone.

Distinguish facts from assumptions

Many times, we rush decisions based on assumptions rather than facts. We have so many perceptions which are accepted as truth while in reality they are based on assumptions. Assumptions and perceptions create false reality. We have to be free of this dangerous state of mind.

We are capable of making smart decisions based on facts if we take the time to switch from the primitive and emotional brain to the logical brain. It is impossible to look at facts and eliminate assumptions when we are in an emotional state of mind.

Find the root of the matter

Every day we solve problems. Then, we are surprised when we face the same problems over and over again.

Why?

Because we rarely take time to think “what was the root-cause for this issue?”; “what is the one thing that if done different the problem will not occur again?” or “what’s the one reason that things happen the way they happen over and over again?”

Listen to your gut

How many times has our intuition “spoken” to us and been correct?

How many times have we not listened?

Listening to our gut is not a guess work.  It requires silent reflection. It requires contemplative vigilance. It requires asking introspective questions. We must trust the answer will reveal itself when the time is right.   We hold off making up our minds until the truth emerges.

Above all, we want to be alert to the signs placed in our path and follow them with vision, intuition and an open mind. Being blind to our insights might be more restrictive than being physically blind.

Let’s try the 4-step blueprint to become more discerning in our work and personal lives:

1. Switch from lower brain to upper brain
2. Distinguish facts from assumptions
3. Find the root of the matter
4. Listen to your gut 

After all, we all know a single wrong decision can change the course of our entire lives.