High Performance Leadership

When I worked for GE and I was learning project management, they had a popular expression that was often spoken with pride and just a touch of arrogance. "In God we trust, all others show us the data." We used to say that opinions were like noses. Everyone's got one. So what. What does the data say? Since then data has become even more important. We rely on data for so much. It drives decisions. It sorts product offerings. It calibrates without feeling the temperature of the times. And yet...what about the heart? Haven't you sometimes had a feeling that something wasn't right and discovered that you were right? There wasn't any data to tell you, it just hit you as true. Relying on your gut instincts can be dangerous. Our intuition is wrong at a surprisingly high frequency. But data isn't everything. How we feel matters. How our customers feel matters. What we bring to our work through our emotions matters. Rely on the data. What other choice do...

When do you stop collecting data? How do you know when you have what you need to move forward or to make a decision? I can tend toward analytical and as a result never tire of checking for more data. But, sometimes we need to move ahead. Sometimes we need to take action and adjust as we go along. One of the keys to progress i knowing how much data is enough. The data alone might not tell you. It might take you making a decision to move. After all, that data could change anyway. And, data is only useful if you use it. -- Douglas Brent Smith

Do you roll with your instincts? Trust your impulses? Rely on your sixth sense? Instincts can serve us well. They can also be flat wrong. How do you know? How can you tell? Practice. Research. Learn. Trust your instincts, but prove them carefully with data. The further you get pulled from testing your point of view, the tougher it is to save you from yourself when things go sideways. And things will go sideways. How do you test your instincts? -- Douglas Brent Smith