We all make quick judgements. Sometimes we need to. Experience gives us patterns to work from, and intuition matters too. That sixth sense can be incredibly powerful and, in some situations, it can be a lifesaver. There are times when something simply doesn't feel right before we can fully explain why.

That instinct shouldn't be dismissed. But there is a difference between listening to your intuition and allowing a first impression to become a final conclusion without testing it against the wider picture. That is where context matters.

 

When the Plan Becomes More Important Than the Picture

During my military career, I saw senior officers who were some distance removed from what was actually happening on the ground. Information would come back from the people closest to the situation, those who could see what was changing because they were living it.

But occasionally, the plan had already been built. The person making the decision had formed a picture in their head of what was happening and what needed to happen next, and new information that challenged that picture struggled to get through. For those underneath, it was incredibly frustrating. More importantly, it could be dangerous.

The issue wasn't necessarily competence or experience. Often, these were highly capable people. The problem was becoming so attached to an existing view that context was no longer being allowed to influence it.

That lesson has stayed with me well beyond the military because business leaders can do exactly the same thing. We can become attached to a strategy, an opinion of someone, a set of numbers or a particular explanation for why something is happening. Rather than allowing new information to shape our thinking, we can unconsciously start looking for information that supports what we've already decided.

 

And I've Done It Myself

Not every example is quite so serious. A few years ago, I was on holiday with my family and there was a guy around the pool who, for whatever reason, got under my skin.

He was loud. The way he carried himself wasn't particularly my cup of tea, and even the way he dressed contributed to the picture I'd created of him. I'd barely spoken to the bloke, yet I'd already decided we wouldn't get on. I'd have put my mortgage on it.

For a few days, I found myself quietly cringing whenever he was around the pool. Then our children started playing together, which meant I had to speak to him.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

He turned out to be one of the funniest, most genuine people I'd met in a long time. We got on brilliantly and we still speak today.

The interesting part isn't simply that my first impression was wrong. It's how quickly I had moved from instinct to certainty. My instinct had given me an initial read on him, which is natural. The mistake was assuming that read was the whole story.

 

Intuition Is Data, Not Always the Decision

I would never suggest ignoring your gut. Quite the opposite. There are moments when experience, instinct and pattern recognition tell us something important before the conscious mind has caught up. That matters in leadership, business and life.

But where time and circumstance allow, instinct can be strengthened by context. One more question, one more conversation or one more piece of information can sometimes make a significant difference. It might mean listening to the person closest to the issue, checking what has changed or simply understanding what might be happening behind the behaviour we can see.

Sometimes that additional context will confirm your instinct completely. Sometimes it will change it. Both are useful.

The point is not to second-guess every decision or overanalyse every interaction. It is simply to avoid being flippant with what comes after the initial feeling. An instinct can be valuable. Turning it immediately into a fixed judgement can be something very different.

 

We Fill in the Gaps

We do this more than we probably realise. Someone is quiet in a meeting and we assume they're disengaged. Someone challenges an idea and we decide they're being difficult. Performance drops and we conclude that standards have slipped. A team pushes back against change and we label them resistant.

Sometimes those interpretations will be right. Sometimes we'll be standing by the metaphorical swimming pool getting someone completely wrong.

The risk isn't having an instinctive reaction. The risk is becoming so confident in that reaction that we stop looking for anything that might challenge it.

 

Context Isn't an Excuse

Understanding context does not mean removing accountability. If a standard hasn't been met, it hasn't been met. If behaviour is unacceptable, it still needs addressing. If a business decision needs making, eventually someone has to make it.

Context isn't about lowering standards or avoiding difficult decisions. It's about making a more complete one.

The person whose performance has suddenly dropped may still need challenging, but understanding why it has dropped could completely change the conversation you have with them. Likewise, the strategy you were convinced was right may still be the best option. But if the people closest to the situation are telling you something has changed, you'd better be willing to listen.

 

Emotional Intelligence in Practice

Emotional intelligence is sometimes reduced to empathy or simply being good with people. It is much broader than that.

Part of emotional intelligence is recognising our own emotional responses, assumptions and biases before allowing them to determine what we do next. It is having enough self-awareness to question what our instinct is telling us, what evidence we are basing a judgement on and what information we might still be missing.

It is also about recognising whether we are genuinely listening to understand or simply listening for evidence that confirms what we already believe.

Experience matters. Intuition matters. Decisiveness matters. But so does being willing to update your view when better information becomes available.

The answer isn't to ignore your sixth sense. It's to respect it enough to test it properly.

Trust the instinct. Add the context. Then make the decision.