Calling Upon Intuition
Saturday, January 29th, 2011I’m intrigued with author Frances E. Vaughan’s definition of intuition as “a way of knowing…a way of recognizing the possibilities in any situation.”
Decisions based off of intuition come from an ability to integrate and utilize both the left and right sides of the brain. The combined product of both facts and feelings that are unclouded by the involvement of personal ego.
Leaders with good intuition see new opportunities in any given situation. They visualize the future and are well equipped to move an organization forward, in response to it. These leaders are particularly good at generating new ideas and providing fresh, creative solutions to old problems. They function best in quickly changing environments, and moments of crisis.
Most men tend to refer to their intuition as a “gut feeling,” whereas women are more comfortable calling on their “feminine or women’s intuition.”
Because intuition originates from a certain feeling in our body, when someone asks how we know, we can’t explain the rationale behind the conclusion. As a result, we’re inclined to keep these thoughts to ourselves in fear others will label us as being unreasonable or foolish.
In the business world, effective leaders understand the importance of using logic and analysis when making certain decisions that will or have the potential to heavily impact the overall standing of the organization. Furthermore, leaders who possess these key traits also understand when to call upon their intuition, not as a substitute to analysis, but as an equal to it.





