Entrepreneurs are leaders in business and are well known for their grit and rationality. But actually, there are some soft skills that are core to their leadership too like creativity, willpower, and the focus of this article -intuition. Also known as ‘gut feel’, ‘instinct’ or ‘sixth sense’, intuition is a business skill that requires remarkably little effort to use effectively, without needing to draw on conscious reasoning or fact to back it up every time. Actually, intuition isn’t pure instinct, but rather it is a subtle ‘knowing’ that resides inside, guiding us in the right direction. So how exactly does intuition help in business and how can it be harnessed to move your business in the right direction?
1. Intuition keeps you aligned
Often rationality guides a business deal and nudges you to know if something is a good choice or not. When we follow our intuition we are able to avoid the wrong decision, even if there is no fact to support it. In this way, intuition is an important indicator of whether a business deal is in line with your company’s mission, and if something feels off, you need to trust that and make a U-turn until you understand why.
2. Intuition propels you to speed up your response time
In a time-poor world, intuition can be a game-changer. In fact, studies show that intuition helps you make decisions faster and “non-conscious emotional information can boost accuracy and confidence”. Of course, data and facts have their place, but when understood in tandem with intuition, powerful decisions can be made, in less time.
3. Intuition brings you closer to your ideal customer
History, data and analysis can tell you a lot about your target customer, but no amount of research can ever take you inside someone else’s mind. In this way, the world is, and will always remain a subjective experience. This is where intuition comes in, as this natural intelligence helps us access something deeper in relation to the person we are trying to connect to. And decisions can then be made relative to that personal insight.
The bottom line
Harnessing your intuition will make you a better business leader. If you allow your gut feeling to guide you in your decisions, it can make your next steps all that clearer. This in turn helps you make better choices for your business and the team around you. Always hold in mind that intuition cannot be blindly followed in any rogue fashion. Rather it needs to be honed and worked on like any other skill in your toolbox. This comes with experience, trial, error and learning but when truly understood it can make all the difference in how you choose to grow your business.
