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HBR AT LARGE When to TRUST Your GUT How do business executives make crucial decisions? Often by relying on their keen intuitive skills, otherwise known as their "gut." But what exactly is gut instinct and how does it work? Scientists have recently uncovered some provocative clues that may change the way you work. by Alden M. Hayashi T" THE INTUITIVE INSIGHT that would save Chrysler in the 1990s came to Bob Lutz, then the company's president, during a week- end drive. On a warm day in 1988, Lutz took his Cobra roadster for a spin. As he raced along the roads in southeastern Michigan, he tried to relax, pushing aside what critics ILLUSTRATION BY TERRY ALLEN had been saying about Chrysler-that the company was brain-dead, technologically dated, and uninspired and that it lagged dan- gerously behind not only the Japanese auto- makers but also General Motors and Ford. FEBRUARY 2001 59HBR AT LARGE . When to Trust Your Gut Ironically, Lutz found it difficult to Dodge cars were priced under $20,000, subconscious, visceral feeling. And it just enjoy himself precisely because he was and customers were mainly blue-collar felt right," he says. Lutz is not alone. In finding the drive so pleasurable. "I felt workers. But Lutz persevered, pushing my interviews with top executives guilty: there I was, the president of the project forward with unwavering known for their shrewd business in- Chrysler, driving this great car that had commitment. Amazingly, he had no stincts, none could articulate precisely such a strong Ford association," he says, how they routinely made important referring to the original Cobra's Ford decisions that defied any logical V-8 engine. In fact, Lutz's strong analysis. To describe that sense of corporate loyalty had vague feeling of know- earlier led him to remove the ing something without "Powered by Ford" plaques knowing exactly how or from his car. Still, the guilt why, they used words needled him, and on this drive like "professional jude- he began wondering about ment," "intuition," "gut replacing the Cobra's engine instinct," "inner voice," with one from Chrysler. Per- and "hunch," but they haps then he could enjoy his couldn't describe the pro- beloved sports car in peace. But cess much beyond that. he quickly realized that Chrysler Intrigued, I turned to leading did not have a V-8 engine that scientists who have studied how was up to snuff. If he made the people make decisions. Although switch, the car would lose con- the inner workings of the human siderable performance. "Chrysler mind are a mystery that may never was way, way, way behind, he be solved, I found that recent re- remembers admitting to himself. search has uncovered some strik- Soon Lutz's mind was racing. ing clues suggesting that our emo- Didn't Chrysler have a powerful tions and feelings might not only ten-cylinder engine in develop- be important in our intuitive abil- ment for its new pickup truck? ity to make good decisions but may Could that be the answer? And, wait, actually be essential. Furthermore, wasn't Chrysler also building a five- I was told, the type of instinctive ge- speed, heavy duty manual transmission nius that enables a CEO to craft the per- for that truck? Why not co-opt those Your mind continually receives and fect strategy for usurping competitors monster parts for a sexy, expensive, two- processes information that you are not consciously aware of. could require an uncanny ability to de- seat concept sports car that would be as tect patterns, perhaps subconsciously, revolutionary as the Cobra had been in that other people either overlook or the 19605? Wouldn't that silence every- market research to support him, just his mistake for random noise. one who had written off Chrysler? gut instincts. So, then, what exactly is your gut and That Monday, Lutz leapt into action, The Dodge Viper became a smashing how does it work? When does it tend to enlisting important allies at Chrysler to success. It single-handedly changed the be right - and wrong? An explanation of develop a muscular, outrageous sports public's perception of Chrysler, dra- how your intuition works may surprise car that would turn heads and stop traf- matically boosting company morale you; it might even change the way you fic. After seeing a full-size clay model and providing the momentum that the make decisions. Before that, though, of the car-later to become the Dodge company desperately lacked, ultimately comes a more basic question: why is Viper-Lutz was all the more deter- spurring its dramatic turnaround in your gut important in the first place? mined. But the naysayers were many. the 19906. In hindsight, the Viper was Chrysler's bean counters were arguing exactly what Chrysler (now Daimler- An X Factor that the $80 million investment would Chrysler) needed; it was the right car at Over the years, various management be better spent elsewhere, perhaps to the right time. But how could Lutz have studies have found that executives rou- pay down the company's debt or refur- been so certain about that? timely rely on their intuitions to solve bish plants. The sales force warned that Lutz, now CEO of Exide Technologies, complex problems when logical meth- no U.S. automaker had ever succeeded the $3 billion manufacturer of car bat- ods (such as a cost-benefit analysis) sim- in selling a $50,000 car. At the time, teries, has trouble describing exactly ply won't do. In fact, the consensus is how he made one of the most critical that the higher up on the corporate lad- Alden M. Hayashi is a senior editor at HBR. decisions of his career. "It was this der people climb, the more they'll need 60 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEWWhen to Trust Your Gut . HBR AT LARGE well-honed business instincts. In other is just terrific. And I get all the reasons president over another is a far subtler words, intuition is one of the X factors why this would be a good acquisition. feeling that is infinitely more complex. separating the men from the boys. But it's at that point-when I have a But there are two important points, Ralph S. Larsen, chair and CEO of tremendous amount of quantitative in- First, your mind continuously pro- Johnson & Johnson, explains the dis- formation that's already been analyzed cesses information that you are not tinction: "Very often, people will do by very smart people-that I earn what consciously aware of, not only when a brilliant job up through the middle I get paid. Because I will look at that in- you're asleep and dreaming but also management levels, where it's very formation and I will know, intuitively, when you're awake. This helps explain heavily quantitative in terms of the whether it's a good or bad deal." the "aha" sensation you experience decision-making. But then they reach After 11 years at the helm of ]&J. when you learn something that you ac- senior management, where the prob- Larsen says that one thing his experi- tually already knew. (This article may lems get more complex and ambiguous, ence has taught him is to listen to his be eliciting that very reaction.) Henry and we discover that their judgment or instincts. "Ignoring them has led to Mintzberg, professor of management intuition is not what it should be. And some bad decisions," he notes. Adds at McGill University and a longtime pro- when that happens, it's a problem; it's Abdoo, "You end up consuming more ponent of intuitive decision making, a big problem." Rolaids, but you have to learn to trust says the sense of revelation at the obvi- What has exacerbated that problem is your intuition. Otherwise, at the point ous occurs when your conscious mind that many companies now find them- when you've gathered enough data to finally learns something that your sub- selves in increasingly turbulent waters. be 99.99% certain that the decision conscious mind had already known. To Thanks to rapid advances in technology you're about to make is the correct one, distinguish between the two kinds of (the Internet is a prime example), busi- that decision has become obsolete." thought, Mintzberg and others have ness models in some markets are chang- Many executives like Lutz, Larsen, adopted the lay terms "left brain" for ing seemingly overnight and new com- and Abdoo have made multimillion- the conscious, rational, and logical and petitors are emerging from nowhere. dollar decisions based on their gut in- "right brain" for the subconscious, intu- "Often there is absolutely no way that stincts. How do they do it? A look at the itive, and emotional. (Although the two you could have the time to thoroughly biological basis of intuition may provide terms are gross simplifications of how analyze every one of the options or al- some insights. the human brain actually works, they ternatives available to you," says Larsen. What Is Your "Gut"? do provide a convenient shorthand.) "So you have to rely on your business Many executives have learned to tap judgment." Imagine that you're walking in the into their right-brain thinking by jog- Richard Abdoo, chair and CEO of woods and suddenly come across a large ging, daydreaming, listening to music, Wisconsin Energy Corporation, agrees. rattlesnake. What happens right before or using other meditative techniques. "As we move to a deregulated market- you're consciously aware of the danger? "I get most of my ideas while I'm taking place, we don't have this slow process Scientists say that the image of the a very long, hot, zoned-out shower in of hearings and review and two years snake quickly passes from your eyes to the morning," says Bob Pittman, presi- to make a decision. We now have to your brain, where the information dent of America Online. Pittman also make decisions in a timely manner. And reaches your visual thalamus, which courts his intuitive skills by placing him- that means that we process the best in- then relays it to your amygdala. A major self in unfamiliar situations. When he formation that's available and infer component of your limbic system, the was CEO of Six Flags Entertainment, from it and use our intuition to make amygdala then begins sending instruc- he once worked incognito as a janitor a decision." tions to your body to increase your at one of the amusement parks, and on Obviously, gut calls are better suited to some functions (corporate strategy and planning, marketing, public rela- Our emotions and feelings might not only be tions, human resources, and research important in our intuitive ability to make good and development) than others (produc- tion and operations management and decisions but may actually be essential. finance). But the top jobs at any organi- zation all require sound business in- heart rate and blood pressure. At this that day he had an epiphany that helped stincts. J&J's Larsen uses an example to point, though, your visual cortex has yet explain why Six Flags was having prob- explain why: "When someone presents to confirm that the object you have en- lems with its janitors being surly to an acquisition proposal to me, the num- countered is indeed a rattlesnake. guests. The reason, Pittman realized as bers always look terrific: the hurdle Of course, fear is a primal emotion, he swept the streets, was because man- rates have been met; the return on in- and the gut instinct that tells a CEO to agement had been ordering the janitors vestment is wonderful; the growth rate nix a business deal or promote one vice to keep the parks clean, and customers FEBRUARY 2001 61HBR AT LARGE . When to Trust Your Gut were the ones who were making it dirty. in gruesome accidents, for example, they kind of simpatico with the man-that is, "So we had to go back and redefine feel nothing emotions and intellect in balance - then their jobs,"says Pittman. "We said, "Your During his research, Damasio began you have instincts that are proper." main job isn't to keep the park clean. to notice something peculiar: these Your main job is to make sure that peo- patients also had difficulty making sim- A Pattern in Patterns ple have the greatest day of their lives ple, even trivial, decisions. In his book General intuition is one thing, the busi- when they come to Six Flags'Oh, and by Descartes' Error, Damasio recounts one ness instinct that tells a seasoned ven- the way, what would prevent customers particularly bizarre incident in which ture capitalist whether a start-up will from enjoying themselves? A dirty park." he asked a patient to choose between succeed is another. Nobel laureate Her- Second, your brain is intricately linked two dates for his next appointment. The bert A. Simon, a professor of psychology to other parts of your body through an patient pulled out his engagement book and computer science at Carnegie Mel- extensive nervous system as well as and began going through the myriad lon University, has studied human deci- through chemical signals (hormones, reasons for and against each date, taking sion making for decades and has come neurotransmitters, and modulators). into consideration his previous commit- to the conclusion that experience en- Consequently, some neuroscientists as- ments, the proximity of them, the pos- ables people to chunk information so sert that what we call the "mind" is sible weather on the two days, and so that they can store and retrieve it easily. really this intertwined system of brain on. After almost a half hour of listen- and body. This, then, helps explain why ing to this excruciatingly tiresome- yet intuitive feelings are frequently accom- perfectly rational and logical -analysis, panied by physical reactions. When Damasio chose a date for the patient. Michael Eisner, CEO of the Walt Disney To explain this phenomenon, Dama- Company, hears a good idea, for exam- sio contends that decision making is ple, he says his body often reacts in a cer- far from a cold, analytic process. In- tain way - he sometimes gets an unusual stead, says Damasio, our emotions feeling in his stomach, other times in and feelings play a crucial role by his throat, and other times on his skin. helping us filter various possibili "The sensation is like looking at a great ties quickly, even though our con- piece of art for the first time," he says. scious mind might not be aware But how exactly could Eisner's sub- of the screening. Our intuitive feel- conscious know that ABC's Who Wants ings thus guide our decision mak to Be a Millionaire-a game show, on ing to the point at which our con- prime time, no less-would become a scious mind is able to make good smash hit? In other words, what makes choices. So just as an abundance some people's right brain so smart? of emotion (anger, for example) The Importance can lead to faulty decisions, so can of Being Emotional its paucity. This point was echoed by Eisner. Scientists are far from the answer to In my interview with him, he had that question, but recent research has great difficulty describing how his intu- uncovered some provocative clues. An- ition worked. But when I asked about The instinctive genius that enables tonio R. Damasio, a leading neuroscien the possible role of emotions, his re- a CEO to craft the perfect strategy tist at the University of lowa College of sponse was quick and emphatic: "Bal- could require an uncanny ability Medicine, has been studying people anced emotions are crucial to intuitive to detect patterns that other people either overlook or mistake for who have suffered brain damage to decision making," he declared. To ex- random noise. a specific area in their prefrontal cor- plain further, Eisner cited the surrealist tices, where we process secondary emo- painter Marc Chagall's imagery of a In chess, for instance, Simon found that tions, such as sorrow aroused through horse and man, the former symbolizing grand masters are able to recognize and empathy (as opposed to primary emo- our emotions and the latter our rational recall perhaps 50,000 significant pat- tions, such as fear triggered by the sight intellect. "When Chagall drew paintings terns (give or take a factor of two) of of a snake). Such patients retain nor- of a small horse and a giant man," Eisner the astronomical number of ways in mal function in many respects-their said, "the horse was too small and which the various pieces can be ar- language and motor skills, attention, couldn't get up on its feet. And when he ranged on a board. Associated with that memory, intelligence-but they have drew a giant horse, the animal would knowledge is important information, trouble experiencing certain emotions. throw the man off. But when Chagall such as possible offensive and defensive When shown photos of people injured drew pictures of the horse with the right maneuvers that each cluster of pieces 52 HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEWWhen to Trust Your Gut . HBR AT LARGE might suggest. "Experts see patterns that often be reduced to patterns and rules. is mysterious only because we don't yet elicit from memory the things they know In fact, Robyn M. Dawes, a professor in understand how it works. According to about such situations," says Simon. the department of social and decision him, even extremely sophisticated pro- AOL's Pittman couldn't agree more. sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, cesses, such as a CEO's deciding whether "Staring at market data is like looking has uncovered something surprising in to acquire a company, can in princi- at a jigsaw puzzle," he says. "You have his extensive review of these studies: sta- ple be broken into patterns and rules. to figure out what the picture is. What tistical models based on rules typically "We've been working on expertise of does it all mean? It's not just a bunch of outperform human experts. For one one kind or another since the early data. There's a message in there." This is thing, Dawes says, the models are more 19706,"says Simon, "and wherever we've why Pittman routinely loads himself consistent: they never suffer from a bad turned, we found that what distin- up with as much data as possible."Every breakfast or a fight with a loved one. guishes experts is that they have very time I get another data point," he ex- Although little research has examined good encyclopedias that are indexed, plains, "I've added another piece to the experts in the business field, several and pattern recognition is that index." jigsaw puzzle, and I'm closer to seeing studies confirm Herbert Simon's con- the answer. And then, one day, the over- tention that "intuition and judgment Cross-Indexing all picture suddenly comes to me." are simply analyses frozen into habit." Truly inspired decisions, however, seem In his varied career, Pittman has seen In one experiment, for example, statis- to require an even more sophisticated many patterns at work. A cofounder of tical models using numerous financial mechanism: cross-indexing. Indeed, the MTV, he rightly realized when he first ratios (cash flow to total debt, for exam- ability to see similar patterns in dis- arrived at America Online that the com- ple) were more accurate in predicting parate fields is what elevates a person's pany's single most important job was to whether a business would fail than bank intuitive skills from good to sublime. continue building and establishing its loan officers making the same judge Remember Bob Lutz's decision to brand -just as it had been for MTV in ments, In a different study, statistical build the Viper? Today, he justifies that its early days. Pittman also pushed hard models performed as well as two types gutsy move by using an analogy. "When for AOL to continue moving away from of retail experts: professional buyers you're going too slow in an airplane," a business model based on consumer forecasting the catalog sales of different he explains, "your aerodynamic drag subscriptions. (Previously, AOL had fashion items and brand managers pre- builds up because the nose of the air- charged customers by the hour before dicting the redemption rate of discount plane is positioned too high and you can going to a flat monthly fee.) The bigger coupons. actually get to the point where, even at bucks, Pittman knew, were in advertis full power, you can't get the airplane ing and e-commerce revenues, not in to climb anymore. So your only solu- subscriptions. "Most people had been "In general management, tion is to drop the nose and trade off thinking about advertising as money people with varied and some altitude to gain speed." Similarly, coming out of people's media budgets. I wanted to take a broader view and de- diverse backgrounds are, Chrysler in the late 19805 had lost so much momentum that it was in danger fine advertising as what it really is: rent- all other things being of stalling. To prevent that, the conven- ing our consumer relationship to unaf- tional wisdom called for cost cutting filiated third parties for money." That equal, going to probably to gain altitude. But Lutz knew better. change in thinking was a masterstroke, be more valuable and "People were saying, "You're low and enabling AOL to move to a multibillion- slow and you're struggling for altitude. dollar revenue stream in just a few will learn faster because What an incredibly bad time to drop the years. How could Pittman have intuited they'll recognize more nose and dive some more by spending that? Perhaps he was influenced by his patterns." cash on a frivolous vehicle like the Dodge previous experience at Six Flags Enter- Viper," he remembers. "But the Viper tainment: the profits from amusement gave us the forward momentum we des parks derive mainly from selling mer- According to Simon, when we use our perately needed, both internally and ex- chandise and refreshments, not from gut, we're drawing on rules and patterns ternally with the financial community, the admission tickets. that we can't quite articulate. "All the the automobile magazines, and all of Various studies of experts in diverse time," he says, "we are reaching conclu those constituencies that create the psy- fields - parole officers predicting which sions on the basis of things that go on chological climate in which your com- criminals are likely to break the law in our perceptual system, where we're pany either prospers or doesn't." again, doctors making diagnoses, school aware of the result of the perception but Lutz, a former Marine fighter pilot, admissions officers predicting which stu- we're not aware of the steps." Simon says that when he first made the gut dents will succeed, and so on - have con- claims that intuition is merely those call to build the Viper, he was not con- firmed that professional judgment can steps, that in-between mechanism that sciously aware that an aerodynamic FEBRUARY 2001 63HER AT LARGE . When to Trust Your Gut analogy held the answer to Chrysler's about yourself that you remember from getting when we were fortunate to have plight. But it's entirely conceivable, he when you were a child can pop into ignored our instincts. Then there's the adds, that on a subconscious level his in- your mind. Gut instincts are the sum self-fulfilling prophecy: when we hire or tuition made the connection. "I think total of those experiences- millions and promote someone, for instance, we con- I've always had this ability to think lat- millions and millions of them. And that sciously or subconsciously make extra erally," he says. "If I'm learning some- sum total enables you to make reason- efforts to ensure that person's success, in thing specific, I find it very easy to relate able decisions." the end justifying our original decision it to analogous situations in completely but obscuring whether our choice was unrelated fields. As long as I understand Know-and Check-Thyself actually a good one. a basic mechanism, I can usually apply That said, executives like Lutz and Eis- A dangerous ingredient in this mix is it to a whole lot of other things." ner will be the first to admit that their our tendency toward overconfidence. Obviously, the power of cross-indexing instincts are often plain wrong. The fact Various surveys have found that we increases with the amount of material is that various traits of human nature overestimate our ability in just about that can be cross-indexed. Says Lutz, "I can easily cloud our decision making. everything-driving, being able to tell find that in general management, peo- For example, we will often take unnec which jokes are funny, distinguishing ple with varied and diverse backgrounds cessary risks to recover a loss-the classic between European and U.S. handwrit- are, all other things being equal, going gambler's syndrome. Another potential ing, and so on. Take, for example, our to probably be more valuable and will pitfall is our tendency to see patterns ability to tell when others are lying. Paul learn faster because they'll recognize where none exist, what statisticians call Ekman, a professor of psychology at the more patterns." Lutz himself grew up in "overfitting the data." University of California, San Francisco, Europe and has a varied background That our gut instincts are often wrong has found that we are actually a lot less that is part academic, part military, and is exacerbated by the factors that pre- capable than we think - most of us have part business. Eisner agrees that good vent us from realizing just how faulty only a 50-50 chance of detecting a strang- intuitive skills must summon the entire our intuition can be. First is a tendency er's lies. The main problem, Ekman says, mind. "When you see a gas station sign toward revisionism: we frequently re- is that many of us never really find out or a certain formation of the clouds," he member when we didn't trust our gut whether our judgments are accurate, says, "reams of historical information and should have, while conveniently for- and this lack of feedback is pernicious. If we don't even know we've made mis- takes, we can't learn from them, and this blissful ignorance leads us to gain un- warranted confidence in our abilities. 1 uppose you had the chance to travel around Jeffrey Garten, To avoid such pitfalls, many top ex- S the globe to meet today's most powerful busi- Dean of the Yale ecutives seem to possess a powerful ness leaders, one on one. Suppose they talked School of Management, self-checking mechanism. "I am acutely aware of my decisions, and I'm much reveals: frankly and openly to you about their business more aware of the bad decisions that I've made than the good ones," asserts strategies, what it takes to be a leader, their vision What drives Larsen. Abdoo, the Wisconsin Energy of the future, and what keeps them up at night. Michael Dell... CEO, specifically sets aside about eight JEFFREY E. GARTEN took that trip. hours every week for riding his Harley What keeps motorcycle, walking, and working in his Here's what he heard-and what he didn't hear. Jack Welch basement shop. "During those reflective up at night... times," he says, "I often rehash decisions I've made. And when I do, I frequently Where learn something that helps me when The Mind of the George Soros I'm confronted with similar situations draws the line... in the future." Such self-assessment can be contin- C.E.O. and more. ual throughout the decision-making process. Says Eisner, "I often sit back and ask myself. why are we doing this, and is Read the minds it right for the company? Are we mak- of business's best. ing this acquisition for the right reasons, or do we just want some initial good press in the Wall Street Journal?" Not co- Wherever books are sold BASIC BOOKS www.perseusbooksgroup.com PERSEUS PUBLISHING HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEWincidentally, Daniel Goleman, a pioneer ment style for quick action. Pittman is in the field of emotional intelligence, a leading practitioner. "Probably more lists self-awareness-people's ability to than half of my decisions are wrong" recognize their own moods, emotions, he explains. "But if I have quick decision and drives-as one of the key criteria for making, when I inevitably make the effective leaders. wrong decision, I can quickly change it To see this self-checking mechanism to something else. And, therefore, over in action, consider how Lutz avoided time I will have more right decisions making a crucial mistake with the Viper working in our business than wrong project. "When I saw the initial design ones." For example, Pittman might take of the car, I was disappointed because a particular course of action based on certain assumptions (perhaps a "Don't fall in love with your pattern he thinks he sees); but decisions. Everything's fluid. he'll quickly change that deci- sion when new information You have to constantly, subtly contradicts some of those as- sumptions (that is, perhaps the Experiencing a Merge make and adjust your decisions." "pattern" really wasn't a pattern after all). Pittman, who is ex- Acquiring a Company I had expected something that would pected to assume a key position in the Being Acquired? more closely resemble the original scheduled merged operations of AOL Cobra," he recalls. But soon Lutz be- and media giant Time Warner, has this Ensure a smooth came aware that his personal bias for final piece of advice, culled from his and successful the Cobra was tainting his gut reaction. years of experience in making gut calls "I then realized that, much as I liked the "Don't fall in love with your decisions. business transformation Cobra, we couldn't do that car again or Everything's fluid. You have to con- the future depends on it wouldn't have been a Chrysler car, he stantly, subtly make and adjust your says. So Lutz in this case went against his decisions." Making Mergers Work! instincts and approved the initial de- Since my interview with Pittman and is a powerful two-day interact sign, which became the successful sig- other executives, I have found myself seminar offering step-by-step formulas for managing nature look of the Viper. trying to make and tweak decisions large-scale change after Because self-checking and feedback quickly based on my gut feel. And I a merger or acquisition. are crucial for sound intuitive decisions, no longer attempt to squelch my emo- some organizations have made these tions during the process, although I vig- Making Mergers Work! processes part of the culture in execu- ilantly strive to discern the underlying will arm you with proven tive suites. Top managers at companies reasons for those feelings. Even with lit- methodology and practical to like Johnson & Johnson routinely solicit the practice, I do think I have become to help you minimize difficulties the opinions of others when faced with slightly better at making smart choices, maximize results and achieve tough choices. Says Larsen, "Whenever and I strongly believe that people can retum on investment quickly. I have this uneasy feeling about a deci- substantially increase their decision- sion we're about to make, for example, making prowess by tapping more into Select from these available dates: about a new product or a major organi- the right brain. Interestingly, though, February 8th and 9th zational change, I will often ask other my gut tells me that I will more than February 22nd and 23rd trusted advisers who may not have been likely never reach the kind of intuitive March 22nd and 23rd in the original discussion." The goal is to genius that led Lutz to build an outra- get to the root of the decision maker's geous, expensive sports car when con- uneasiness. "Then all of a sudden," he ventional logic dictated otherwise. But, says, "the light goes on." And this is why, then, perhaps this helps explain why so Locations in South Florida Larsen adds, " in our senior management many companies fail to build Vipers group, we say we don't really make de- when they need to, because not every cisions, we extrude them." executive is blessed with the exquisite But perhaps the greatest power of in- instincts of a Bob Lutz. CMS tuitive decision making coupled with continual feedback is that the process Reprint RO102C Change Management Systems, Inc. To ceder reprints, see the last page can be honed into an effective manage- Cal us at 305-447-9707 or visit of Executive Summaries www.aboutems.net FEBRUARY 2001