Instinct is The New Process

Instinct Is the Next Everything

Instinct is the next process—because instinct is what process is ultimately trying to build. When you work a process long enough, it internalizes. It becomes part of you. At that point, you’re no longer just following steps—you’re operating from instinct.

Process Starts With Someone’s Instinct

Every process you’ve ever learned was originally someone’s instinct. Someone developed expertise over years, expressed it naturally, and only then broke it down into steps so others could repeat what they did. Step one, step two, step three—training wheels for something that once came intuitively.

The point of a process isn’t to replace instinct. The point is to lead you back to instinct—your own.

Instinct Is Your Inner Compass

After decades of coaching speakers, I’ve learned to listen inward. There’s a voice that nudges, a pull toward an idea, a sensation that says “this way.” That’s instinct. If process is a map, instinct is the compass that tells you which direction to move on that map.

When I coach CEOs or leaders in transition, instinct becomes essential. They need transformation now. And while the process gives structure, instinct guides the breakthrough. Sometimes my instinct aligns perfectly with the process. Other times, it leads somewhere new—somewhere the process could never have predicted.

Use Both—But Don’t Sacrifice Your Compass

Process gives consistency. Instinct gives truth. Together, they elevate you. But don’t make the mistake of throwing away your compass just because you have a map.

You have instinct inside you. Listen to it. Let process get you moving, and let instinct take you to the higher places the process can’t reach.

Instinct is the new everything.