James Pepper Rutland, Baton Rouge: 3 Reasons Why Leaders Need to

In a world that values hard facts, figures, numbers and statistics, the value and importance of intuition or "gut feelings" are often diminished. The truth is, however, that what we often refer to by somewhat ethereal names like "instinct" or "intuition" are simply incredibly complex processes of evaluation that happen so swiftly we can't break them down into the thousands of individual components that bring us to a certain conclusion. In reality, intuition - and the ability to follow it - is a critical component of successful leadership. Here are three reasons why intuitive leaders are the most successful leaders.

1. Every situation is different

It is rare that you will genuinely run across a "textbook case" of almost anything. From finding the right business partners to negotiating contracts, every situation in life requires us to pull on a wide body of knowledge to handle it effectively. Head knowledge, book smarts or intellect will only carry you so far. The broader the range of experience you have to pull from, the more likely you are to hit on the right solution to any problem.

2. People are complex

Psychologists can spend their entire careers studying the human psyche and still get thrown curveballs. Dealing with people is just one more arena where book learning is of little value. As much as there are common driving factors behind human motivation, the truth is we are all just slightly different. What matters a great deal to one person matters very little to another. Effective leadership demands a high degree of people skills and dealing with people is a highly intuitive process.

3. What's right for one organization is not always right for another

Experts can determine what is the best course of action under certain conditions, but what is actually the best course of action in any situation depends on a wide range of variables that cannot be predicted. Guiding a business of any size requires the ability to analyze a thousand different variables and intangibles to reach a conclusion. The exact process is so complicated, complex and convoluted, we often simply refer to it as "intuition" or "gut instinct." In reality, it is the culmination of a lifetime of experience put into action.