Bruce Kasanoff* points out that while we have more data easily available to help us make decisions than at any other time in history, in many cases it is still no substitute for human intuition.
In recent years consultants and executives — and especially technology vendors — have loved to talk about the advantages of decision-driven data and AI.
“Computers make us smarter” is the line we are told to accept.
Really?
Computers don’t make us smarter; they just enable us to process and access more information.
Some of this data is extremely helpful, but much of it is just noise.
Let me ask you this: Are we better off than we were 10 or 20 years ago?
How much has all that data helped us?
Data is no substitute for human intuition.
By this I mean that your gut has an alarm system; it blares when something is in conflict with the knowledge you possess through a process you can’t explain.
Does this mean that your gut is smarter than science?
No.
Is your gut right 100 per cent of the time?
No.
However, every now and then, even after you assemble all the data and it points in one direction, your gut warns you that the data is wrong.
If you listen, it saves you from making a horrendous mistake.
Some will tell you this is nonsense, that intuition is worthless in today’s data-driven society.
The truth is that data is still gathered and analysed by people, and all human beings have biases.
In many cases, the data is slanted, selective, incomplete or just plain wrong.
Intuition is not simplistic; it is the sum total of all your experiences to date and all the wisdom you can somehow tap into through processes that seem inexplicable.
By the way, intuition is also responsible for all those eureka moments that drive nearly every human innovation.
Treasure it.
*Bruce Kasanoff is the founder of The Journey, a newsletter for positive, uplifting and accomplished professionals. He can be contacted at kasanoff.com.
This article first appeared at kasanoff.com.
