As a leader, what is your process to acquire new insights? I’ve noticed some pretty interesting patterns inside the mind of an insightful leader. Have you?
To be sure, the human brain is a marvelous machine, able to generate brilliant innovations seemingly out of thin air. And, while intuitive thinking and insight can lead to innovation, they’re not the same. Intuition is the use of patterns already learned; insight is the discovery of new patterns. Unlike routine problem-solving, our insights aren’t conscious or deliberate.
I like how Dr. Marty Nemko, PhD, described the process simply in a November 2019 article for Psychology Today:
Raw Ingredients => Filtration => Fermentation => Evaluation
As a leader, you deal with a tremendous amount of those raw ingredients: data. It can be useful when appropriately analyzed, but in some cases may prove overwhelming and misleading. In Seeing What Others Don’t: The Remarkable Ways We Gain Insights (Public Affairs, First Trade Paper Edition, 2013), Gary A. Klein, PhD describes the process as:
- New information joins what we already know, and sets the stage for discovery.
- Our stories frame and organize the details.
- Insights generate a new narrative: a set of beliefs that are more accurate, comprehensive, and useful.
- Our insights change our perspective: how we understand, act, see, feel and desire.
An Insightful Leader is a Catalyst
Most importantly, insights change what we do next, and what we need to validate new ideas. You see, innovation is not just about finding a new product or service. Insights create solutions to customers’ problems—even the ones that aren’t yet clear or articulated.
Start by asking these six questions:
- What do underlying trends suggest about possible future states?
- What would happen if some of these trends converged into a perfect storm?
- Where is there a small, but growing, trend?
- What can you learn from analogies and metaphors?
- What similar situations have companies faced in the past?
- What can you learn from others’ mistakes and history?
When an insightful leader recognizes the need to change, they ensure their business is prepared to innovate, before it’s too late.
What do you think? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here, or on LinkedIn.
