If there’s one skill that has helped me to get better at decision-making, is delayed intuition.
In a world full of noise, narratives, and rumors, what gets in the way of clear thinking is to buy into whatever you’re told without fact-checking, listening to the other side of the story, and forming a well-rounded opinion.
This isn’t new, though, and the Stoics put it as best as possible:
Don’t let the force of an impression when it first hit you knock you off your feet; just say to it: Hold on a moment; let me see who you are and what you represent. Let me put you to the test.
Epictetus, cited from The Obstacle is the Way
Over the past few months, I was put to the test many times. And that’s when I remembered Daniel Kahneman’s podcast on The Knowledge Project, called Putting Your Intuition on Ice.
I listen to it again, and it’s a great podcast. Daniel Kahneman is a psychologist, and author of a book called “Thinking, Fast and Slow” that I reference in The Leadership Trail – Hiking our Way to Become Better Leaders.
Over the years, I have led dozens of people and several teams. Through good and difficult times, you see it all.
Different situations, personal or professional, make people act in different ways. It’s when someone complains or tries to influence us in a certain direction, that we need to be the most careful.
It’s always easier to follow along and co-participate in those narratives.
But as Daniel said:
Motivation is complex. People do things for a mixture of good and bad reasons. Be more patient and have more empathy. Being judgemental doesn’t get you anywhere
Daniel Kahneman, Putting Your Intuition on Ice
Behaviors don’t reflect personality, but situations. If people behave in a strange way, take a look at the situation that’s making them behave in that way. And delay that intuition.
I don’t allow myself to give their final judgment too early. I focus on several dimensions, and wait until I cover the whole thing. This makes me see trade-offs, collect evidence, and finally come up with a much better opinion or decision.
So far, delayed intuition as served me well.
