How Mindfulness and Positive Intelligence Improve Business Judgment

3 days ago

4 min read

Nearly every business owner I have ever worked with has said, “I wish I were better at __________.” For some, that blank is sales; for others, delegation; for many, time management. We all have an ideal version of ourselves that we aspire to be. We all get frustrated from time to time because we know what we should be doing, but for some reason, we struggle to find the motivation, inspiration, or commitment to do what is hard—even when we know it is good for us. Call it determination, call it resilience, call it grit—the name matters less than the feeling: the sense that when an obstacle gets in your way, you don't let it stop you.

In this article, I will introduce you to Positive Intelligence and explain how mindfulness and reflective habits can support your business success.

Poster reading How Mindfulness & Positive Intelligence Can Improve Business Judgement, with a blue balance scale icon.

My Introduction to Positive Intelligence

Just after I completed my Co-Active Coach training, some coaches I know told me about a free coaching program. They explained that you apply for a grant and, if accepted, you can participate in Positive Intelligence training. Before that, I had never heard of Positive Intelligence. Having just spent over $10,000 to become a certified coach, I found the idea of free additional training very attractive. As I will explain later, the grant was primarily a marketing strategy to introduce coaches to a broader program, but the core concepts left a lasting impression.

Shirzad Chamine is a well-known thought leader within the coaching industry. He wrote the book Positive Intelligence over a decade ago and has been marketing Positive Intelligence-related coaching and training programs ever since. If you work with an official Positive Intelligence coach, they can give you access to an app that walks you through the program's different elements.

Positive Intelligence Is a Framework for Improving Judgment

Positive Intelligence is a "research-based" approach grounded in positive psychology, internal family systems, and mindfulness. I put "research-based" in quotes because this book draws on other people's work and Shirzad's personal experience, not peer-reviewed research. Shirzad is smart and has done his homework. Many elements of Positive Intelligence are helpful because they mirror or draw from other sources, such as Dick Schwartz’s No Bad Parts, Martin Seligman’s Flourish, and U.S. Navy training models.

If you decide to read the book or use elements of the program, I encourage you to use your best judgment: take what is helpful and leave what is not. I found certain high-intensity elements of the Positive Intelligence training program trauma-inducing, and I elected not to become a Certified Positive Intelligence Coach. While I see great value in PQ reps (mindfulness activities designed to build mental muscle), I have chosen to teach clients how to integrate mindfulness and reflective practices into their lives without delving into past trauma.

Mindfulness and Reflective Practices Improve Productivity

When clients want to improve their productivity, I often ask them to take the Saboteur Assessment. It is a free, 15-minute evaluation on the Positive Intelligence website. Once completed, it identifies your primary saboteurs, such as the Controller, the Pleaser, or the Hyper-Achiever.

During a debriefing session, I talk with the client about their assessment results, help them identify which saboteurs most impact their performance, and explain the Judge's role. Within the Positive Intelligence framework, we all have an inner Judge—our primary inner critic. This critic can be helpful when it contributes to healthy discernment. However, under stress, the Judge becomes hyperactive and can be overly influenced by your saboteurs.

Positive Intelligence teaches that we also have an inner Sage grounded in wisdom. To achieve our goals, we must let our inner Sage lead. This doesn't mean ignoring other parts of ourselves; it means listening to our saboteurs just enough to understand risks while using our core wisdom to find the best path forward.

Reducing Stress to Improve Judgment

Once you understand the concepts of saboteurs, your Judge, and your Sage, you begin to realize that stress is the primary enemy of good judgment. A small amount of stress can be productive. It can drive focus and attention. However, excessive stress causes the Judge to take over, not your Sage, which gives your saboteurs more influence over your behavior. The key to improving your judgment and effectiveness is managing your stress.

I spend a lot of time helping clients identify what triggers their stress and how they can build mental and operational capacity. Capacity-building habits include:

Expanding your professional network
Delegating routine tasks
Automating recurring processes
Learning new high-leverage skills

Co-creating capacity-building plans gives clients a structured way to reduce daily stress and make clearer, more effective decisions.

DIY vs. Working with a Coach

Circling back to the marketing strategy behind Positive Intelligence: Shirzad is one of the most transparent marketers I have observed. At the end of the free training, he offers a certificate program that teaches coaches how to market and sell the curriculum. Although I did not enroll in that specific program, he shared two fundamental principles during the intro course that I teach business owners:

Build a low-cost, high-value introductory offer that helps potential clients get to know and trust you.
Create a product or service that solves a distinct problem, and market it consistently.

Those tips were shared with me, so I am passing them along to you at no charge as a thank you for reading this entire article.

One-on-one coaching is a premium service that many growing business owners find out of their reach. To help bridge that gap, I am currently testing a pay-what-you-can coaching initiative for entrepreneurs generating under $150k in revenue. My hypothesis is simple: targeted coaching accelerates business growth. If I work with an owner for 90 days, I believe I can help them grow their lead flow by 20%

If you are curious about coaching and tired of figuring everything out on your own, let's talk. Simply reading this far tells me you are committed to improving your business, and I would love the opportunity to support you on that journey.