In a given moment, the human body is receiving extraordinary amounts of information.

We see movement. We hear changes in tone. We feel pressure and temperature. Our bodies register balance, movement, tension, and position. Multiple sensory systems operate in parallel, continuously gathering information from the world around us and from within us.

Before we consciously decide what something means, our sensory systems are already at work. In fact, the human sensory system gathers and processes information 100 million times faster than the human brain, according to research conducted by Markus Meister. What does that say about the importance of our bodies in relation to our brains as leaders? I’d say we are long past due taking the body more seriously in developing our leadership abilities.

Leadership operates in an environment filled with signals as well.

A colleague who normally challenges ideas becomes unusually quiet. A team quickly agrees to a decision instead of generating discussion. An executive says everything is “fine,” while their tone communicates something different. The energy in a meeting changes when a particular issue is raised. A leader feels tension rising within themselves as a conversation takes an unexpected direction.

We receive these signals constantly.

The challenge is that receiving information and accurately interpreting it are not the same thing.

Our brains make meaning from what we perceive using experience, context, expectations, memory, and assumptions. Two people can experience the same conversation and walk away with very different interpretations of what occurred.

For leaders, the consequences of that gap can be significant.

Sense Leadership begins with developing greater awareness of what we are receiving before deciding what it means.

It is the capacity to notice signals within ourselves, other people, and our environment; distinguish observation from interpretation; verify what we believe we are sensing; and respond with greater awareness and intention.

Leadership is often measured by the quality of the response.

Sense Leadership asks us to pay attention to what happens before the response.

Let’s explore What Is Sense Leadership?