We talk off and on here about invisible things. Management has more ability to impact those things than anything else.
When you manage something that exists, it is a process of improving what's there and already seen. But the ability and skill to see what is missing is one that is far harder to cultivate.
Let's take the case of Warren Buffet the great investor. He doesn't really have any more information available than anybody else, yet he is able to look at companies in a way that is far above almost everybody that does the same thing. What does he have that others don't have, and can it be cultivated?
The answer to that I think is available. I remember reading a long time ago about the art of storytelling. One of the key prerequisites, according to the storyteller/author, was that you had to have far more material to tell than you could ever actually present. In other words, your story was, in a way, within a larger story that had a bigger picture.
This provides you with ample material so that you never fail to have enough to relate to those that are listening. I think this is one of the ways you cultivate seeing that which isn't there.
It isn't something that can be done quick or inefficiently. You simply engage your purpose and study and interact with it over a period of time. I have heard the statistics thrown around from a number of sources that it takes about a 1,000 hours of study and experience to really master something. In this case I think that you can even give more and go beyond that.
The point in all of this is that the thing that we sometimes call 'intuition' or 'gut feelings' are really nothing more than having such a grasp of our business and purpose that you know when something is missing even if you can't immediately put it into words.
From that you can search out or see clearly that which needs to be done or added to processes, products or services. The bottom line is to become a master of your craft and you will see that which others never will. Now that's a competitive advantage.
Have you found these things to be true in your own experience?
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Although I agree with this 'in theory' my only concern & I guess opposition is - are you suggesting that truly strong & useful intuition or gut instinct comes as a result of years of accumulated knowledge? what about those people who have less experience, less accumulated knowledge but strong gut feelings about what works and what doesn't? Isn't true according to psychological behavioural modelling that some people have a stronger intuitive 'gut instinct' than others who rely on information and experience?
Posted by: Jen | May 10, 2006 6:44 PM | Permalink to Comment