Voices | Innovation Make Better Decisions The keys are knowing when to listen to your gut and how to use data. by Dale Denham, MAS+ GUT. FEEL. INSTINCT. INTUITION. Whatever term you use, this sense of what must be right, along with your hard work, has likely been a key to your success. Many outstanding entrepreneurs make things happen regardless of whether they leverage data in their decision-making. Jim Barksdale, the former Netscape CEO, once said, “If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.” In truth, very few entrepreneurs start out with access to data; rather, they have a great idea and commitment to making a vision work. Some continue to let intuition drive their success. They refuse to fail, even forcing round pegs into square holes via the sheer will of their leadership. It doesn’t always have to be that hard. A data-driven culture doesn’t mean the data makes the decisions; your instinct continues to play a very important role. Decisions come from the analysis of data (leveraging your instinct), which leads to a recommendation based on the analysis. Even with the best data, it is possible to misinterpret signals, which often happens to artificial intelligence programs that lack human oversight. AI can outperform humans at many tasks, but it takes a tremendous amount of human input for AI to reach a 36 • JANUARY 2023 • PPAI
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