Written by: Daniel Mangena, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We tend to prize intellectual decision-making in business, over the emotional. Graphs and spreadsheets must be poured over, analyzed and picked apart to within an inch of their life - before we make a decision on how to proceed. But who is that really for and why do we want to run our businesses that way?
It’s easy to get lost in the intellectual side of business, especially when it comes to making strategic decisions. The larger the corporation, the worse this tends to get and with good reason: there’s more on the line! What with high-pressured chains of command and a litigious culture, rife with ’buck-passing’; it’s no wonder that we would seek to have our bases covered as much as possible.
While the fallout might be more localized in a small/start-up business, the stakes are still high personally. Make one wrong move and it could be game over. You don’t have the resources to speculate, so playing it safe seems like the only reasonable approach to take. Your family’s security might be on the line too!
So I get it: thinking with your head tends to be the ‘go to’ move, because emotional decisions are seen as undesirable. They are subjective, rather than objective, and as such are not to be trusted for the greater good (whatever that means). But I’d posit the notion that, that’s not really the case.
Desperate decisions might be undesirable, born of a need to salve short-term pain, but emotional decisions can be the logical direction to take too. In fact: given that we’re trying to appeal to someone’s subjective wants and needs – isn’t the logical move to involve emotions in how we approach our business?
There’s a commonly used phrase at the moment that says: “facts don’t care about your feelings.” I get the sentiment of it, but it’s only really useful if you’re Skynet. Facts on their own don’t make for a better outcome. The use of facts has to care about your feelings (and feelings at large) because they’re being used to make decisions that will ultimately result in improved quality of life. How do we measure our quality of life? By how we feel about it!
Here’s the thing: your clients are also people!
It doesn’t matter what you’re offering, be it goods or services; a person has to find value in them at some point. It might well be for some ‘boring’, number-crunching reason, but there needs to be a human connection with what you’re selling…otherwise what’s the point?
If you’re not evoking an emotional response in your clients/potential clients; you’re doing it wrong. Remember the old adage of not selling the product, but who people can be with your product? It’s about getting them to see it integrated with their lives, and not being able to imagine living without it…even before they’ve bought it. That’s an emotional response, not a rational, number-crunching one!
We see this reflected in so many of the items that we surround ourselves with, but let’s pick one that I’m sure most of you will relate to your phone.
There are many companies out there offering smartphones, but who is the king? Apple. Is the iPhone at the cutting edge of technology? No. Does it offer the most versatility, usability or integration with other devices? No. But you can’t imagine your life without it, I’m willing to bet.
Sure, there are plenty of people out there who will insist that their Samsung “wipes the floor with the iPhone.” In all probability, those people will then proceed to rattle off a list of indecipherable tech stats, processor speeds, pixel density numbers etc… but they’re missing the point. Those things do not connect with you emotionally. I doubt very much that they actually connect with said Samsung advocate emotionally either, save for that contrarian side of them that likes to be different. And fair enough! That’s perfectly valid too.
The point is that we’re all emotional beings. We don’t just think with our heads all the time. So much of our decision-making is informed by our heart, and there’s wisdom in our bodies as well as our brains.
What is an emotion?
When you consider what an emotion is scientifically, you can start to see why they are worth listening to. Emotions are our brain’s interpretation of the physical signals, sent through neurochemical impulses from our body.
Emotions are quite literally “energy in motion”. They don’t physically stay in our bodies for more than 30 seconds, but the interpretation of what they mean can stick around forever.
As we have evolved, these systems of synaptic communication and our interpretation of them has gotten more sophisticated. With serotonin, for example, we essentially evolved an onboard chemical reward system for making good decisions. The repercussions of which have been huge! We could probably trace most of societies growth and transformation to this alone.
Now when I say that it is your brain’s interpretation of signals, what I’m really talking about is your subconscious brain. The reason for this is that your subconscious is the ancient “lizard” part of your brain that can react fast enough to these signals. You have to remember that they’re coming in thick and fast, all day. Without some kind of high-speed ‘sorting office’ you’d quickly go mad.
Just imagine having to consciously choose how to feel about everything!
You can’t do that and so we’ve evolved brains that do the deciding for us. This was crucial in the survival of our species, with the ability to assess and run from danger being first and foremost. Then we evolved to recognize ripe fruit. We developed the ability to feel a sense of gratification when we make a decision that results in a desirable future outcome, for both us and our community.
All of these reward systems are a huge part of how we form our decisions, and they’re informed by years of emotional input. This is why childhood trauma, that we may well have forgotten about (or suppressed consciously) can still impact our ability to function, make good decisions and grow.
With all this in mind, you can see how we are all complex, holistic beings. It’s not possible for us to make purely rational decisions. We aren’t just data processing machines. We interpret data and process it based on what we desire for ourselves. We’re a filter.
So – how can we think more with our hearts, when making business decisions?
If you want more clients in 2022, and it’s not a given that you do, but if you do; you need to start to see the emotional connections with what you’re offering. When someone buys from you, they need to feel something. Whatever it is.
Human Resources is one of those funny services that, as my pal Adam Daines from ADDA Infusion points out; often forgets that it has ‘human’ in its name. A lot of business owners either hire in-house, or outsource their HR departments, often from a place of begrudging compliance. Just think how much more business you’d do in that sphere (as Adam does) if you could tap into a different emotion!
Sure: show CEOs and business owners that your HR services will protect them legally; but also help their workforce to feel valued, heard and therefore be more productive. If the fee for your HR services is dwarfed by the uptick in productivity – you’ve suddenly become invaluable and you’ve given your client a massive endorphin kick! Not only that, but if they’re surrounded by people who are happy to be there: you’ve improved their working atmosphere.
Your heart is also incredibly smart!
The other reason that you need to think holistically more as a business owner, rather than just cerebrally, is that your heart contains a lot of wisdom! Now I know that sounds incredibly ‘woo-woo’, but hear me out. No it can’t solve complex math equations or calculate the trajectory of a comet... at least I don’t think it can… but it does contain the collective wisdom of all your years as an emotional being.
All of your physical sensations and the emotional responses that they’ve elicited are stored inside you. A completely unique pattern of observable experiences, that form your ability to react instinctively to situations. That’s priceless!
The corporate world often pays lip-service to experience, as though it’s a desirable asset but without really quantifying why. They’ll also put qualifications at the top of the list, with experience usually playing second fiddle. Especially when candidates are on the younger side.
If you want to speak to more people with your good or service, you have to speak to all of them. Pay attention to who your customer is, not what use they’ll get from what you have to offer. A good place to start is: are you going to make them wealthier in time or money? Why is this important to them? Why will they be happier, less stressed and better people as a result?
Start to build a picture of an individual. Imperfect just like you, and also just like you; someone who lives in their entire body, not just their head!
Daniel Mangena, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dan Mangena is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and public speaker. Recently named in the Wall St Journal as a "Master of Success," he is completely self-made and has spent decades perfecting his world-class coaching methodology. His books, podcasts, events & retreats continue to help captains-of-industry and private individuals alike live an abundant, joyful, purpose-driven life. He offers many unique and effective free tools via his website.
