Strategic Intuition--A Dragon's Key To Human Creativity

Where does innovation come from? Where do we get our best ideas? And, more importantly, can we intentionally create innovation as leaders rather than just waiting for that "a-ha" moment to strike us in the shower?

William Duggan, of Columbia University, answers that last question with a resounding "yes." I had the privilege and pleasure to be a participant in his course, Strategic Intuition, which is an offering through the Columbia Business School's Executive Education program.

Strategic Intuition is really a discipline that encompasses an eclectic set of methods and tools, around the idea that the human brain learns best by examining the world around us for examples of success and then synthesizing our observations into a new idea or innovation. These observations and the subsequent synthesis result in a "flash of insight."

My next few posts with present a few examples of how this works, along with the theoretical framework. I'll end with some thoughts how strategic intuition can happen intentionally within an organization and how it might be integrated (or not) with traditional strategic planning. I start today by basically distinguishing Strategic Intuition from other forms of intuition.

Strategic Intuition--Not Your Mother's Intuition
It sounds kind of trippy, like Zen irony. Strategic Intuition. It's like "the sound of one hand clapping" or "wherever you go, there you are." Here is how Strategic Intuition differs from your run-of-the-mills version of intuition:

• Intuition--The generic sort of intuition. This is that gut feeling that tells you something is right, not right, safe, not safe, etc. It is usually based a complex and subtle set of signals and observations that your conscious mind may not have even noticed, at least when it is working at is best. It can also go haywire when you have had a bad experience (like in childhood) or you have a particular bias or prejudice (which we all do). Or, sometimes, we just misread a person or situation without knowing we are even reading them in the first place. But I digress...Basic intuition is that gut feeling most of us get about some things.
• Expert Intuition--This is the sort of intuition that leads to rapid decision making that emergency responders, top athletes, and great musicians all display. They all take in a huge amount of data in the blink of an eye, make numerous decisions, adjust, readjust, and perform at a high level that few others match. They, of course, have talent, but they also practice and drill, plus they perform the same basic activity over and over and over. They perform it all very quickly and expertly in a narrowly defined arena, with no true surprises. A jazz musician improvises but it is within the confines of a jazz tune; her band mates will not shock her by lurching into a Metallica tune two minutes into Autumn Leaves. A power forward going in for a dunk will not suddenly face a football defensive end in full pads trying to tackle him in the paint. In other arenas of life, however, such surprises do happen with unpleasant regularly which leads to the need for...
• Strategic Intuition--This is the sort of nonlinear thinking that allows us to innovate and find creative solutions when faced with brand new challenges, startling new opportunities, and daunting new problems.

Enter the Dragon Adept

I have always liked dragons. As a young child, my parents listened to Peter, Paul and Mary, so Puff was my very first dragon image (leaving aside any herbal or medicinal references). I discovered The Hobbit while in middle school, with Smaug the dragon being one of the antagonists. And, during my sophomore year in college, one of my favorite albums of all time came out, the self-titled debut album by Asia. This was back in the last glory days of vinyl albums, when album art was at its peak and the dragon on the cover was a good match for the awesome prog rock on the inside.

I kind of have my own dragon mythology. It is obvious that dragons represent power but they represent so much more to me. I like some of the Asian thoughts on dragons. Dragons are not merely fearsome beasts to be conquered by the heroic knight in shining armor. My dragons are indeed powerful, but they are also benevolent and compassionate. They can change human lives for the better. In many Eastern myths, dragons have the ability to change shape in order to bring about good. The wise man at the waterfall who changes your life just might be an ancient dragon. I like that.

A leader is a dragon. She is someone who has the ability to change herself to adapt to circumstances, yet she retains her essential character and values. She is compassionate and wise, powerful and benevolent. She interacts with others to generate positive change. She goes with the flow yet never loses her overall sense of direction and purpose.

This brings me to the other word in my blog title, the word “adept.” An adept is a skilled practitioner in ways of secret knowledge, such as alchemy. It is a word that was used in late medieval times to describe someone gifted with secret knowledge and wisdom. In my case, the secret subject matter is leadership. I make no claims to be skilled in the ways of leadership but I have spent much of my life exploring various aspects of leadership. This blog is a continuation of my exploration; a way for me to test some of my thoughts, observations, and experiences regarding leadership by writing them out, sharing them, and getting feedback from the larger community.