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Two people walked into their room and noticed rat dung right at the centre of their newly laid ornamental rug. Both puzzled one exclaimed what, a rat lives here! lets do something. The other replied, "not only does rat live here, we may be talking about more than one rat here judging from the volume of the dung, also to have defecated means they have food supply, lastly, defecating at the center of the room and not hiding to do it is a clear message of the level of their sense of security. Therefore, combining their sense of security with the availability of food, procreation becomes an attractive option for them".
Interesting scenario. Here we see one event, two people .One was only able to generate one conclusion from the event. The other was able to draw from the same event four different conclusions. The above scenario is important because it brings me to a very critical question: When you look what do you see? How much detail do you pick up when you look at issues with limited information? How much insight do you command on any issue that relates to your business? These are questions I usually pose whenever am taking a class on Executive Intelligence (a module in Executive Skills Development).
This is because your ability to capture vital information from a muddled background with super clarity in a specific period of time is the beginning of Executive Intelligence. This kind of ability forms the core of business leadership and it is called Executive Intelligence. It refers to the degree to which you are able to see through the clutter to uncover vital underlying details,associated with with an information. Everything tells you something. Your ability to capture those messages in full gives you the needed clarity for exceptional results in business. Simply put, Executive Intelligence largely refers to ones ability to assess and evaluate information for the purpose of decision-making.
The success, or otherwise of any executive, lies on the quality and depth of his insight and how you are able to combine it with other factors to make sound decisions. Success is not for the blind. Yes, you are blind as an executive if you cannot see non apparent information about the issue in question when it is laid before you. Most executives find it more convenient to depend on surface or handed down information to make an important decision. Decision without insight is the only risk in business. Making informed and accurate decisions is the only secret worlds most celebrated executives have. The quality of your decision is determined by how much insight it wields. The quality of your decision determines the quality of your bottom-line.
In essence,the real difference between the successful organization and the struggling one is "how they see".
Super thriving organizations work with super clarity on:
* what should be done,
* when it should be done,
* how it should be done
* and why it should be done
while trailing organizations have muddled vision on those. He who sees more takes the lead. This is the law of life and it cannot be more true in the market place. Every major business breakthrough or radical market share expansion is always traceable to high level executive insight. For instance,before Henry Ford rolled out the model T cars (which was an instant success), car manufacturers produced cars based on the economics of "low supply, high profit margin". They believed that keeping supply low creates scarcity which in turn translates to higher demand for cars therefore forcing people to buy at higher price for higher profit. On the contrary, Ford saw that when it comes to a product as genuinely useful and revolutionary as a car, lower profit margin and increased supply will increase profit margin. So he jettisoned the prevailing economics and opted for the "economics of volume" (increasing the supply increases the demand). By 1927 Ford had sold a record high of over 15million cars with a ford car being produced every 24 seconds.Ford saw what other executives couldn't see.
On the other hand organizations loose millions of dollars in ventures or in fixing a problem created by executive blindness. Coca cola suffered a major marketing failure when it introduced New Coke. Research showed that about 200,000 people ranked New Coke above Pepsi Cola and the original Coke (now called Coca Cola classic) in taste. The executives believed that great taste means great sales so they pumped millions of dollars to advertise a tastier New Coke. However, what they failed to see was that when it comes to the soft drink industry, market share is driven by perception not necessarily taste. Consequently, the product was a colossal market failure on arrival, still trailing behind Coca Cola classic and Pepsi in market share. What you fail to see can become your greatest undoing.
Executive Intelligence plays a pivotal role in repositioning an organization for a desirable bottom-line and brand competitiveness. Below are few tips on how to improve your information processing:
Have an open mind
Errors in decision making usually begin from mindset, stands, presumptions or biases we adopt before settling down with the issue at stake. One of the definitions of a fool is someone who responds to a matter before he hears it. To provoke the flow and capture of vital information buried beneath the surface, you of a necessity have to free your mind of biases before, during and after the issues are evaluated. This will prevent your vision from being beclouded.
Don't be in haste
Facts are mixed up or totally missed when you hurry. The first information that meets the beholder from any issue is usually the shallowest. Taking more time on issues at hand helps your inner probes to dig deeper to uproot more detail that may contain some vital information. Also giving more time to issues enhances your chances of capturing completely conjugate information ( conjugate information are information that on their own will make little or no sense until you have gotten the other information). However, be careful not over dwell on any issues, it can slow down overall corporate decision making process.
Ask Questions
Imperfection is part of human nature. It shows up in everything we do. The information we receive and the ones we give are often not exempted. Do not swallow information hook,line and sinker. Learn to challenge information, assumptions and propositions with tough questions to uncover more. Everything remains perfect until a well word query.
Intelligent questions pull back the blinders on peoples mind and help them think more intelligently and creatively too. Great questions beget great discoveries. Ask questions even when things seem okay. One of the jobs of a leader is to ask the hard questions. Keep asking until everything is clear beyond every reasonable doubt. The difference between thriving and toiling is the question asked. Great leaders ask a lot of questions just to gain clarity for themselves and their team. Keep asking.
Partner with your intuition
The word intuition seem to be a combination of two words: in and Tuition in other words you have an inner teacher. Your intuition is very creative. It is an idea supplier. Partnering with it perfectly helps bring an innovative side to the issue on ground. It helps open up a new perspective to the issue and it plays a role in uncovering associated issues for further evaluation. It helps you maximize advantages. Intuition gives eyes to your blind side.
