Ronda Colavito

A few years ago, I learned this lesson the hard way. I was running a major project and had built strong relationships across the organization — colleagues in other departments knew my work, trusted my judgment, and were engaged in what we were doing. By most measures, my internal network was thriving. But I had a blind spot. I had neglected the relationship with the leader of my own department. Not intentionally — I was busy, she was busy, and I assumed strong results would speak for...

Here's the moment that derails most conversations I’ve had about intuition vs. data: someone on the data side says, "But gut feelings are full of bias," and they're right — intuition absolutely can be contaminated by bias. Confirmation bias, recency bias, overconfidence. The research on this is solid. But here's the part that doesn't get said nearly as often: so is your data. The datasets you're analyzing reflect the biases of the people who decided what to measure. The metrics on your...

Talking about intuition feels a bit vulnerable for me. Especially since I have worked with organizations and leaders who tend to value research and data. I am a naturally intuitive person, but I’ve learned to use it wisely. A quote I read many years ago from Reed Hastings, the co-founder of Netflix validated my personal experience. He said, "We start with the data. But the final call is always gut. It is called informed intuition." In my time working with senior leaders, I’ve come to believe...