The Harvard Business Review had a great article on intuition:  Intuition Isn’t Just about Trusting your Gut. The blog post referrs to a couple Fortune 500 leaders and their decision making process. And after the feedback I received from my last blog post about intuition, I thought it would be a good idea to dig into this a bit further.

While I found it fascinating these leaders of super large companies rely on their intuition there is a fact that can get lost if you don’t read the entire post. The success of using intuition is based on experience and knowledge of the subject.  In other words – to succesfully use your intuition in business you need experience and a lot of knowledge.

What can happen if you use your intuition too soon? You can possibly make a mistake or fail. Guess what? That’s ok. Only by trying, experimenting or going out on a limb can you gain the experience and knowledge you need.  Just be prepared for the consequences. Also it is possible you made the right decision and all will go well.

When should I listen to my intuition? Well this will depend on you. How much of an “expert” do you consider yourself on the subject matter? or Are you a novice still learning. If you are the expert and while you are reading data, research, customer comments, etc. and somewhere in your gut you hear a scream saying “do it” – well that’s your intuition – LISTEN!

When should I ignore my intuition? Ignore is a strong word, I would suggest setting it aside while you are still learning. You may want to take note of what your “gut” is telling you and continue with your research.  After you have made an informed decision, go back to your “gut” and see if you were correct.

Have you made any decision based on your “gut” or “intuition”?  How did it work out? Tell us in the comments below.