Don’t dismiss those “gut feelings” when making decisions, says Gary Klein in his new book Intuition at Work. Klein, author of the much praised Sources of Power, says that 90% of decisions are made based on intuition, rather than a rational, scientific approach.
After 20 years of research with firefighters, U.S. Marines, emergency medical staff and senior executives to find out how they make life and death decisions in a matter of seconds, Klein realized that intuition is not magic or ESP but rather a practical skill that can be learned and used. He defines it as the “natural and direct outgrowth of experience” or how we translate our experiences into action.
Klein gives readers the tools to build intuitive skills that will help them spot potential problems, stay calm in the face of uncertainty, size up situations quickly and avoid getting overloaded with data. To practice making difficult decisions, Klein offers tough, real-world decision games then walks you through a “post-mortem” to analyze how you did. Some of Klein’s most helpful lessons involve showing leaders how to communicate effectively and showing how anyone can coach others (or be coached) in the art of intuition.
Intuition at Work is a thoughtful, rational look at how all levels of business from senior executives and middle managers to new hires can learn how to build intuition skills and apply them in everyday decision-making.
