Intuition as a career resource

Intuition is an idea that too often gets maligned or, at best, ignored. It also happens to be a potent source of insight for those who are able to tap into it.

Sometimes (OK, often) I work with clients who have a tendency to over-think and over-analyze. When they are looking at an option or idea and I see that over-analysis kicking in, causing them to dither and doubt, I often press them to make a snap call. "Don't think about it. Just answer, right now. What does your gut say?" They usually have a quick answer. Then I ask, "How does that feel?" Most often they breathe a sigh of relief and say, "That feels right." Part of that is getting their brain out of the way and letting themselves trust that intuition.

Here is an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal Career Journal on intuition on the job that offers up some facts to back up the power of intuition.

Professor John Mihalasky and his associates at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark tested hundreds of business managers for intuitive ability. They are convinced that effective, superior decision making correlates highly with intuitive ability.

For one of their experiments, they chose 25 managers who had held top decision-making jobs for five years. All were from small manufacturing companies (less than $50 million in sales) to ensure that their decision making hadn't been diffused by committees.

The results were remarkable: Of the 25 men selected, 12 had doubled their companies' profits in five years. Eleven of those 12 scored high on the intuitive test.

The same correlation has been noted by other management researchers. Weston H. Agor, author of "Intuitive Management: Integrating Left and Right Brain Management Skills," studied several thousand managers from a wide cross section of industries and companies. He found that successful managers make effective use of intuitive decision-making. Henry Mintzberg, professor of management at Montreal's McGill University, likewise found that in unpredictable and ambiguous situations, successful managers rely on hunches to deal with problems that are "too complex for rational analysis."

The article goes on to describe some general guidelines for intuitive thinking:

* Watch for bias
* Keep a record
* It's a normal function
* Use a combined approach
* Analyze and wait

Finally, it describes the ability of intuition to tap into the full spectrum of what we've learned, not just what's readily available.

Many people report finding solutions to apparently intractable problems either in the morning upon awakening, or during reverie or daydreaming. One reason for this is intuition's ability to delve into the subconscious, where everything one has learned and experienced, both consciously and subliminally, is stored. Tapping into this rich storehouse enables one to perceive unrealized possibilities inherent in many complex situations or problems.

Curt Rosengren
Passion Catalyst ^SM

Comments

[Danielle LaFleur]

I love posts like this, Curt. Reminds me that trusting my gut can be the best business move I can make. :)