Good Instincts
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The Good Instincts Method

Seven habits of people with good instincts.

We do not give people one “right” script. We teach them to notice more, ask better questions, understand the person, adapt the approach, make the call, act with clarity, and learn from what happens next.

  1. Notice

    Pay attention to what you are seeing, hearing, and feeling. Do not ignore the “hmm… something feels off” moment.

  2. Question

    Ask one more question. Get curious before deciding what the situation means.

  3. Understand

    See the person, not just the behavior. Ask what changed and what you may not know. Then zoom out to the situation, system, and business context.

  4. Adapt

    Know your default. Read their preference. Adapt your approach. The principle may stay the same while delivery changes.

  5. Decide

    Test assumptions, consider human and business impact, make the call, and know what would change your mind.

  6. Act

    Create clarity. Say what needs to be said. Establish ownership and next steps. Follow through.

  7. Reflect

    Turn experience into wisdom. What worked? What did not? What will you notice sooner next time?

An important principle

Curiosity does not remove accountability. It makes accountability better informed.

Am I managing the behavior, or have I taken the time to understand the person?

Adapt

Know your default. Read their preference. Adapt your approach.

Good Instincts is informed by behavioral-style concepts, but you don’t need a personality assessment or a label. Everyone has observable preferences. Notice yours, read theirs, and adjust how you deliver the message, not the standard behind it.

  • Directness is useful. Impatience isn’t.
  • Empathy is useful. Ambiguity isn’t.
  • Preparation is useful. Overanalysis isn’t.
  • Pace
    FastDeliberate
  • Communication
    DirectRelational
  • Processing
    Talk it throughThink it through
  • Information
    Big pictureDetail
  • Change
    ExperimentStability
  • Decision
    InstinctEvidence

Look for these

The method shows up everywhere.

  • Ask one more question

    Curiosity before assumption.

  • Something feels off

    Investigate the signal instead of ignoring it.

  • Read the room

    Behavioral awareness and adapting to others.

  • What would you say?

    Conversation practice. Focus on the next sentence.

  • The Clarity Check

    Expectations, ownership, and next steps.

  • Before you escalate

    Decision ownership versus legitimate escalation.

  • The Human Check

    Where AI helps, and where judgment has to stay human.

  • Zoom out

    What happens next? What else is connected?

Good instincts are built.

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