Blog

Listen To Your Heart

Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile

The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yeah

They’re swept away, and nothing is what is seems

The feeling of belonging to your dreams

–“Listen To Your Heart” – Roxette, 1988

Let’s face it, running a business is hard.

Especially your own.

We’ve counseled hundreds of businesses, ranging from smaller lower middle market early stage, privately held companies, to publicly traded companies, in dozens of industries.

Despite being an executive or interim CEO or advisor called into a mix of scenarios, and tasked to offer what we call “Objective Perspective,” strangely, oddly, sometimes our best advice is to have them follow their heart. Sometimes, yes, although rarely, the heart is right and the brain is wrong.

“One ought to hold on to one’s heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Why does this happen?

Listening to your heart when making business decisions is important for several reasons:

1. Emotional Intelligence

• Understanding Emotions: Integrating emotions into decision-making can enhance emotional intelligence, allowing leaders to better understand their own feelings and those of their team members.
• Building Relationships: Decisions made with empathy can strengthen relationships with employees, customers, and stakeholders, fostering loyalty and collaboration.

2. Values Alignment

• Staying True to Core Values: Listening to your heart helps ensure that decisions align with personal and organizational values. This alignment can enhance integrity and authenticity in leadership.
• Cultural Fit: Decisions that resonate emotionally are more likely to align with the company culture, promoting a cohesive work environment.

3. Long-Term Vision

• Visionary Thinking: Heartfelt decisions often reflect a leader’s passion and vision for the future, inspiring others and creating a shared sense of purpose within the organization.
• Sustainable Choices: Focusing on what feels right can lead to more sustainable and ethical business practices, which can benefit the organization in the long run.

4. Risk Assessment

• Intuitive Insights: Emotional intuition can serve as a valuable tool in assessing risks and opportunities, guiding leaders to make choices that might not be purely data-driven but feel instinctively right.
• Navigating Uncertainty: In ambiguous situations, trusting your gut can help you navigate uncertainty where analytics alone may fall short.

5. Enhanced Decision-Making

• Balancing Logic and Emotion: Combining rational analysis with emotional insight creates a more holistic approach to decision-making, leading to well-rounded outcomes.
• Creativity and Innovation: Emotional engagement can spark creativity, helping leaders explore innovative solutions that might otherwise be overlooked.

6. Employee Morale

• Inspiring Teams: Decisions made with heart can inspire and motivate employees, enhancing morale and encouraging a culture of passion and commitment.
• Attracting Talent: Organizations that demonstrate empathy and emotional awareness are more likely to attract and retain top talent who share similar values.

7. Customer Connection

• Empathetic Customer Relations: Listening to your heart can enhance the way businesses connect with customers, leading to improved customer service and stronger brand loyalty.
• Authentic Engagement: Decisions that prioritize customer feelings and experiences can lead to more authentic engagement and satisfaction.

Conclusion

Incorporating emotional insights into business decision-making is essential for fostering a compassionate, values-driven, and innovative organization.

By listening to your heart, you not only enhance your own leadership effectiveness but also create a more inclusive and resilient workplace culture.

Balancing emotion with rational analysis can lead to more thoughtful, sustainable, and successful business outcomes.

(link to the Roxette video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCC_b5WHLX0

Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP, is the CEO & Managing Partner of QORVAL Partners, LLC, a FL-based advisory firm (founded 1996 by Jim Malone, six-time Fortune 100/500 CEO) Qorval is a US-based turnaround, restructuring, business optimization and interim management firm. Fioravanti is a proven turnaround CEO with experience in more than 90 situations in more than 40 industries. He earned his MBA and MPA from the University of Rhode Island and completed advanced post-master’s research in finance and marketing at Bryant University. He is a Certified Turnaround Professional and member of the Turnaround Management Association, the Private Directors Association, Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Association of Merger & Acquisition Advisors (AM&MA), the American Bankruptcy Institute, and IMCUSA. Copyright 2024, Qorval Partners LLC and/or Paul Fioravanti, MBA, MPA, CTP. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution without permission.

www.qorval.com