Greek philosophers used to describe intuition and analysis as a dark horse and a white horse running together. They claimed that by giving more lead to the white horse (analysis) it would keep the unstable dark horse (intuition) from taking us off course. Decision making researchers and authors like Lehrer, Klein and Kahneman have since dispelled this myth and have done important decision-making inquiry with the military, fire fighters, athletes and executives that reveal that pure analytical decision making only works well in a lab setting, while intuitive decision-making happens much more frequently.
In his 2003 book, “The Power of Intuition”, Gary Klein dispels a few more myths such as those that link intuition to magic or psychics or Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP). Klein is clear that intuition is not a dark horse that needs to be “reined in” nor a special gift given to a limited number of people. In fact, he defines it as, “the way we translate our experience into action. Intuition is a large repertoire of patterns acquired over years of practice. Without these patterns, decision-makers would be paralyzed (pg 6).”
This ability to marry factual analysis with intuitive decision-making is what can move a manager into a leadership position or halt a promising trajectory. It is the difference between great and exquisite.
FutureSYNC International has developed a new seminar for executives that equips leaders to further develop their intuitive decision making abilities and to transfer positive, corporate scripts and mental models to their team members. Contact us at (406) 254-2326 to learn more!