As a leader, you are faced with countless decisions every day, and it can be challenging to navigate through the noise and find the right path forward. While critical thinking and analysis are important skills for any leader, there is another tool that can help you make better decisions: intuition.

I’m a big believer in trusting your gut, and I think that too many people are caught up in overthinking things and analyzing everything to death. Sometimes, you just need to go with your instincts and take a leap of faith.

Intuition is often dismissed as a “gut feeling” or a hunch, but in reality, it is a powerful and sophisticated form of intelligence. It involves tapping into your inner wisdom, using your past experiences and insights to guide your decision-making, and leveraging your intuition to navigate situations where facts are left out.

So let’s explore the importance of intuition as a leader, and how it can help you make better decisions, build stronger relationships, and achieve greater success.

Listen to your inner voice

Your intuition is always communicating with you, but you need to be still and listen to hear it. Take time to quiet your mind and tune in to your inner voice. Pay attention to the sensations in your body, and notice any feelings of unease or excitement.

Back in 2011, Netflix was crushing it as a DVD rental-by-mail and online streaming service. But Hastings knew that the future was in streaming and he wanted to go all-in on it. The problem was that it meant risking the entire DVD rental business, which still brought in a ton of revenue.

Despite the potential risks, Hastings trusted his gut and made the difficult decision to split the company into two separate services, with one focused on DVD rentals and the other on streaming. The move was met with criticism from customers and investors, with many calling it a costly mistake.

This decision proved to be a game-changer for Netflix. By 2013, the company had over 30 million streaming subscribers and was producing critically acclaimed original programming like “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black.”

Today, Netflix is one of the most successful streaming services in the world, with over 200 million subscribers worldwide and a market capitalization of over $250 billion. Hastings’ decision to trust his gut and pivot the company’s focus towards streaming was a risky move, but it paid off in a big way.

Trust your instincts

Your intuition is like a sixth sense, and it can help you pick up on subtle cues and signals that your conscious mind might miss. When you get that feeling in your gut, trust it. Your intuition is based on your past experiences and insights, and it can guide you toward the right decisions.

Use your intuition to read people

As a leader, you need to be able to read people and understand their motivations and needs. Intuition can help you pick up on non-verbal cues, like body language and tone of voice, that can reveal someone’s true intentions.

In 2012, Armin Ernst, the former CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, partnered with a Chinese company called Jiahui International Hospital to build a new hospital in Shanghai. However, Ernst became increasingly suspicious of Jiahui’s intentions and their ability to fulfill their financial commitments.

Despite pressure from his board and investors to move forward with the partnership, Ernst trusted his gut and made the decision to terminate the deal with Jiahui. He believed that continuing the partnership would be too risky for BIDMC and its patients.

Ernst’s decision proved to be the right one. Jiahui was later sued by other American partners for alleged fraud and breach of contract, and the new hospital was never built. Meanwhile, BIDMC went on to build successful partnerships with other international hospitals.

By trusting his gut and refusing to compromise on his values, Ernst protected the reputation and future of BIDMC, and ultimately made the right call. So, even when it means going against the wishes of our partners, board members, or investors, listen. to your. instincts.

Combine intuition with critical thinking

While intuition is a powerful tool, it should never replace critical thinking and analysis. Use your intuition to generate ideas and insights, but then test them with data and evidence.

Practice and develop your intuition

The more you use your intuition, the stronger it will become. Practice tuning in to your inner voice and trusting your instincts, and seek out opportunities to use your intuition in your work and personal life.

Conclusion

Our brains are wired to process information subconsciously, and our gut feelings and hunches are actually the result of our brain’s ability to analyze that information and present it to us in a way that we can interpret.

Studies have shown that people who have a strong intuition actually have greater connectivity between various regions of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the insula. These regions are responsible for decision-making, emotional processing, and bodily sensations.

And here’s the thing, if you can tap into your intuition and trust your gut, you can make better decisions and achieve greater success.

Learn. Elevate. Disrupt.

Kash