When to go on instinct and when to think

Leadership isn’t always a hard and fast, logical decision using the best facts available to you. Sometimes, you just have to go with your gut.

But what decisions should you approach rationally, and which intuitively? Preliminary findings by a number of Harvard University researchers point to an answer.

Decisions which are simple should be thought out consciously. But complex decisions, which require your brain to process a lot of information, are best left to your subconscious.

Maarten Bos, a social psychologist conducting research across Harvard’s business and medical schools, spoke to Harvard Working Knowledge about his team’s preliminary findings.