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June 27, 2011
Meaning: “Present the business case!” I hear that constantly when working with leaders. If you want to sell someone on your terrific idea, outline the facts and rationale behind it: a compelling business story is persuasive. Yet decisions can’t be reduced to facts and data alone. Intuition is a powerful resource – especially if you bring it to the surface and learn to trust it. Brian, an executive, told me how he learned too late of the value of intuition. His company was in the midst of due diligence for a potential acquisition. On paper, the target company deal looked good, and its leadership was saying the right things. Brian thought something about the deal didn’t “feel right,” yet the facts were so convincing he let it go. After the deal was inked, his company discovered the owner had fudged the books. The acquisition was a mistake, and Brian realized he had ignored his intuition. The power of his intuitive insights never entered the picture.
Ideas for Action: Think of times when your intuition has proven eerily accurate: perhaps you had a “sense” about a particular person or work situation and later discovered you were right. Whether you’re making a business decision, building a work team, or trying out a new idea, open yourself to the power of your intuition.
In a basic way, there are two primary ways we reach conclusions. One is based on reasoned analysis, in which we systematically gather facts and narrow them down to reach a conclusion. The other is based on intuitive analysis - a mental process that allows you to see or even imagine patterns in information. Intuition literally helps you connect the dots among seemingly disparate data points. Science is increasingly discovering how our brains analyze and connect information, based on both types of analysis.
Logic or intuition? It is not an either/or world. Simply think in terms of using all of your brain power to reach a conclusion. Know that intuition often becomes more accurate over time because it unconsciously taps prior knowledge and experience. Similarly intuition may be less reliable when you are operating in a brand-new arena.
While recently sitting in a cab in New York City rush hour traffic, I was amazed how the veteran cab driver managed to glide through and around traffic. How could he do that? His mastery of New York streets was based on both reasoned analysis (knowing which alternative routes would lead him to my destination) as well as intuition (an opening that told him the right lane was going to be faster than the middle lane). My intuition would have been worthless at that point – I did not have the mental map to make helpful connections. But I have other mental maps and experiences that do allow me to make connections.
Using your intuition does not mean you always have to follow it. In Brian’s example, the problem was that he never voiced his intuitive doubts. Intuition needs a voice and benefits from you making it accessible: first to yourself and then to others. Familiarize yourself with your own intuitive capacity by saying or writing down your intuition, to give it credence: “I have a hunch this product team is going down the wrong path.” “Even though everyone is not in agreement, something tells me this is a better choice.”
Keep track of the quality of your intuitive thinking to better gauge where and when it’s best applied. I have a sense you’ll be pleased with the results!
Best regards,
Sandra Davis, CEO