In my 17 years in the financial world, I cannot remember anyone ever using the word intuition (let alone intuition in leadership).

“Did you use your intuition to make this decision?” – “What?” (screams in agony)

Make a PowerPoint presentation, research facts, show figures, ask lots of people, show your authority, do not use emotions.

But intuition? No way.

Which begs the question, does the business world even understand what intuition is? Or have we lost touch with it altogether?

Artists use intuition

As I’ve become more involved in leadership and working with leaders, I’ve coincidently come across several interviews with artists that always struck a chord with me. Because it always surprises me that they seem to be more connected to a deeper sense of awareness or knowledge … or intuition for that matter.

Many successful artists know that hard work gets you to the top. But they also understand that there is more at play than rational thoughts and facts.

Some call it the universe, some call it the muses, some call it God. I’m not sure it matters what word or description we use because I feel it all points in the same direction.

Intuition. Or an innate knowledge. Something available to all of us.

What if we have become too distracted by the world around us and by ourselves to connect with our own intuition? Can you remember a more focused time at work, where there is no message, no person, no meeting or deadline to distract you from what you are doing? It’s become so rare.

And yet it would give us so much.

What Steve Jobs knew

I used to think there were too many stories about Steve Jobs on LinkedIn or leadership blogs.

But then I came across his name when I was researching intuition in leadership. And I found out that he was a big believer in intuition. So much so that he considered it more important than factual knowledge.

I had no idea. But it helped to see him in a different light and it also helped to explain why he was such a fantastic businessman.

Do you sometimes wonder if someone might just be smarter or luckier than you? I’ve done that far too often in my corporate career. Sometimes I’ve even thought that maybe I couldn’t get that next promotion because I’d reached my limit.

But maybe we’re wrong. Maybe it’s trusting your gut, trusting that inner voice that can make all the difference?

Steve Jobs was known for his ability to concentrate and not do many things at once. We know that this sometimes drove those around him crazy, as they needed his opinion or approval on other issues that they felt were important at the time.

But it may have been this focus, this zen-like ability to do just one thing and shut out mental distractions, that allowed him to connect with his inner voice, his intuition, his gut feeling (do we really need an exact description?).

Doing nothing can connect you to intuition

I have long advocated that people take time out to do nothing. Literally do nothing. Not even having a glass of water or a coffee while doing nothing.

I’m convinced that there’s a lot we can learn from silence, and many answers to many of our questions.

Just look at Albert Einstein, he also famously said that sometimes he just seemed to have the knowledge and he didn’t really understand why.

When was the last time you had 10 minutes of silence to just observe whatever came into your mind?

Want to explore this further? Write to me. I’d love to help you explore this further and see how intuition in leadership can take your career to new heights.

Source on Steve Jobs and Alber Einstein (there are many others): CNBC

Definition of Intuition from Psychology Today.