Intuition is a Leadership Strategy

For decades, business wisdom has treated intuition as irrational, unreliable, and unscientific.

We’re told that data, logic, and analysis are the only valid ways to make decisions. And yet, the world admires certain leaders for their “great head for business” or their ability to “trust their gut” — a trait celebrated as savvy and strategic when men use it, but often dismissed when women do.

The truth is, intuition has been a leadership tool for thousands of years.

Before patriarchal systems rose to power, women were trusted for their ability to “just know.”

For thousands of years, women’s intuition wasn’t just trusted, it was revered. The Oracle of Delphi, a group of priestesses in ancient Greece, was considered the most powerful source of wisdom in the ancient world. Kings, generals, and entire nations sought their guidance before making major political, military, and economic decisions. These women sat at the center of power, their intuitive insights shaping the course of history. And yet, today, we live in a world where women are told to dismiss their inner knowing in favor of spreadsheets and data.

Even now, some of the most successful women credit their intuitive voice as the key to their decisions. Oprah Winfrey has often spoken about how she listens to her “still, small voice” the deep knowing that has guided her through career pivots, business decisions, and personal growth.

“Learning to trust your instincts… is paramount for any lasting success… I’ve trusted the still, small voice of intuition my entire life. The only time I’ve made mistakes is when I didn’t listen.” — Oprah Winfrey

If some of the greatest leaders in history — past and present — have built their power on intuition, why are so many women still afraid to use it?

Your Intuition is Your Most Powerful Business Tool

As women in leadership, we often silence our intuition out of fear that we’ll be dismissed or not taken seriously.

We overcompensate with spreadsheets, research, and quantifiable data, not because we don’t have an inner knowing, but because we’ve been conditioned to believe that inner knowing doesn’t belong in business.

But what if we stopped apologizing for our intuition and started honoring it as the strategic advantage it truly is?

How I Discovered My Own Intuition in Leadership

The first time I became aware of my intuition as a leadership superpower was early in my career at a startup.

I was a visual designer on a cross-functional team, and when new Project Managers were brought in for interviews, they would be introduced to the team. I remember having a sixth sense about each one, an immediate knowing of who would thrive and who would struggle.

At the time, I didn’t question it. I assumed I was picking up on subtle cues: a tone, a hesitation, an unspoken energy.

Later, I learned how the hiring manager I was being mentored by made her decisions. She had a painstakingly detailed hiring process — spreadsheets, scoring rubrics, and data-driven elimination methods. It was impressive. Logical. Structured.

But every time my intuition gave me a “no” about a candidate, that person would flame out. Not because they weren’t good at their job, but because something about the role, the culture, or the team was never going to work for them.

It was then that I realized: I wasn’t sensing their competence, I was sensing their future.

Since then, I have become one of the best hiring managers I know.

I have built teams that are:

✔ Highly diverse and complementary

✔ Deeply aligned and high-performing

✔ Respected and admired across organizations

And my hiring strategy? I trust my intuition.

When I get a “yes” about someone, I listen.

When I get a “no,” I don’t second-guess it.

Because I know that every “no” means a better opportunity is waiting for them, too.

How to Start Trusting Your Intuition

Every woman has an intuitive voice inside her, but years of ignoring it, questioning it, or silencing it make it grow quiet.

The good news? It’s still there.

And like any skill, it gets stronger the more you use it.

💡 Step 1: Pay attention to what you “just know.” Start by noticing your gut instincts, even in small, everyday decisions.

💡 Step 2: Test it in low-risk situations. Before making a decision, take a moment to check in: What does my intuition say? Then compare it to the outcome.

💡 Step 3: Stop demanding external validation. The fastest way to dull your intuition is to ask for permission instead of trusting yourself.

💡 Step 4: Act on it. The more you listen to your intuition and take action based on it, the stronger and clearer it will become.

At first, it might feel wobbly, shaky, uncertain, like learning to walk.

But with time, it will grow in confidence, in clarity, in power.

And when you begin leading with it?

You won’t need to justify it.

You won’t need to explain it.

You’ll just know.

And when you take action based on that knowing, you may seem crazy from the outside.

But your path will begin to unfold in ways that are powerful, aligned, and unstoppable.

Final Thoughts: Intuition is Not Unscientific, It’s Just Unmeasured

In business, we measure data, performance, and logic.

We don’t measure instinct, energy, or alignment.

But that doesn’t mean those things don’t exist. It just means we haven’t created the tools to quantify them yet.

Your intuition is not a weakness. It’s your edge.

And when you learn to use it?

You won’t just make better decisions.

You’ll become the kind of leader others can fully hope to follow.