October 2012: Seek first to understand.

In this ever-changing, chaotic environment, we often feel pressure to move quickly – to make quick decisions and take swift action. An unintended consequence of this fast-paced, pressure-prompted mode of operating is that we make snap judgments about challenging situations and people without taking the time to understand the underlying issues or drivers. Rushing to treat the symptom instead of the root cause can result in wasted money…and, ironically, wasted time.

As a leader, you must manage a very real paradox:  the need for speed and the need for thoughtful decision-making. Some decisions can be made with little input or digging, but not all of them can. When confronted with a more complex situation, seek first to understand, and then decide what to do.  A simple (and fast) approach to help you get to the root cause is “The Five Whys”-- a question-asking technique where underlying cause-and-effect relationships are revealed through five iterations of asking why.

You are accountable for your decisions, so when in doubt, pause and ensure you have a grasp of the situation before committing to a course of action.

August 2012: Don’t underestimate the power of intuition.

Each of us is born with an amazing gift: intuition. It’s our internal navigation system; a source of knowledge from within.  It is constantly sending us messages that tell us whether we’re making the right decisions or moving in the right direction.  These messages come in the form of a hunch, a sense about something; a “gut feel.”

Many of us fail to realize the full power of our intuition because we’re either too frenetic to hear it or we don’t trust it enough to act.  We discount it. We worry that it’s wrong.  We second-guess ourselves.   And in the end, we allow our heads to overrule it – often to the detriment of ourselves and our organizations.

Today, take a moment to write down all the times you have had an intuitive hunch. Note where you listened to your gut. What happened? Note where you didn't listen to your gut. What happened?

What does this tell you about your own intuitive power?  Your intuition is there to serve you.  So let it!