I've often wrestled with whether or not I should trust my gut. As a coach, as a man, as a husband, as a leader; this ponderance has always felt weighty.

But here is something I learned as a young offensive play-caller in football, and can also be applied to areas outside of sport:

Gut reactions are usually very wrong or very right.

They tend to be wrong when they are based purely on emotion and in domains where you lack experience. If you don't have the requisite experience and are acting off adrenaline or in the heat of the moment, it's probably not going to work out in your favor.

They tend to be right when they are rooted in deep understanding and well-developed taste. If you've gained vast knowledge and wisdom in that area, then favor is likely on your side.

Moral of the story: trust your gut when you have the experience to back it up.

An expected follow-up question could be, "prior to experience, what do you trust?"

My answer? Wise counsel from the experienced and qualified. The Biblical book of Proverbs alone is loaded with such advice.

"Without guidance, people fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance." ― Proverbs 11:14

"A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise." ― Proverbs 12:15

"Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." ― Proverbs 15:22

Inherent intuition can surely play a role, but nothing compares to experience and/or advice from the experienced.

There's a reason Sean McVay hired Jedd Fisch in 2018.

McVay became the Los Angeles Rams' head coach in 2017 at the age of 30, the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. During his first season as a head coach, McVay described a self-inflicted clock management blunder against Arizona “inexcusable.”

So McVay created a game management position—which he called a “senior management consultant”—in Los Angeles that offseason, hiring former UCLA offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch for the role. In short, he sought wise counsel from the experienced and qualified.

Understanding your shortcomings and faults can propel you forward at a greater velocity than being unaware of them.

Do you have experience in that area? Trust your gut. Go for it. Flex your skills and feel good about it.

Do you lack experience in that area? Trust the gut of those who have lived it, and feel good about it.