Intuition at Work: The Underutilized Leadership Skill
When we talk about leadership skills, there are certain traits that we always discuss: strategic thinking, communication, data analysis, decision-making. But there’s one skill that rarely makes the list—yet drives some of the most powerful choices leaders make. That skill is intuition.
Intuition often gets dismissed as “soft” or “woo.” In reality, it’s a form of rapid, subconscious intelligence. Neuroscience shows that intuition is built on pattern recognition: our brain quickly processes past experiences, subtle cues, and knowledge we may not even realize we have. Intuition is the “gut feeling” that helps you sense what’s right, even when the evidence or data isn’t fully there.
Why Intuition Gets Overlooked
In business, we’re taught to trust numbers, data, and logic. These are essential, but they’re not the whole story. Leaders often fear that if they admit to using intuition, they’ll seem irrational or unprofessional. As a result, intuition gets pushed aside or ignored, even though it’s at work behind the scenes in nearly every meaningful decision.
The Value of Intuition in Leadership
Intuition should be considered a competitive advantage. Here are a few examples of how this can show up:
Decision-making in uncertainty. When the data is incomplete, intuition can point us toward the best path forward.
Innovation. Intuition helps leaders spot opportunities others miss.
People leadership. Great managers read the room. They sense shifts in morale, energy, or alignment before issues fully surface.
Putting Intuition Into Practice
So how can leaders intentionally use intuition in the workplace? Here are a suggestions:
Pause before decisions. Ask yourself: What feels right here? Take the time to consider what your intuition is telling you, even if it is at odds with the situation at hand. This helps you sense something others might be missing or catch a mistake before it’s made.
Notice how you experience your intuition. Do you feel it in your stomach? A sudden clarity? A strong pull toward one option? Paying attention to these signals helps you recognize your intuition in real time and learn to trust its presence in decision-making.
Pair it with data. Intuition isn’t the opposite of analysis, but rather its partner. Allow your intuition to guide you where to look deeper within data.
Reflect afterward. Track when you followed your intuition and how it played out. What was the result of listening to your intuition? To ignoring it?Over time, you’ll sharpen your ability to trust it.
A Call to Leaders
Intuition is not about throwing logic aside. It’s about adding a deeper layer to decision-making—one that many of the most successful leaders rely on, whether or not they call it by name.
Sometimes the best leadership decisions aren’t based solely on facts and data, but on intuitive intelligence.
If you are curious about how to cultivate intuition in your team’s leadership, I can help. Reach out here to learn more.
