We discovered an archived article on Forbes.com yesterday on corporate executives who use intuition to guide their companies to success.
Sound strange? Check out the article. Feedback and focus groups are one thing, but operating on your gut instincts may be a better bet. We love this thinking. You should too.
Anyone reading this post in Hollywood knows what we're talking about. It takes a powerful vision to get a project through the creative process without micro-managing from studio executives who demand audience test-screenings, and alternative endings filmed in an attempt to please everyone. All along the vision gets muddled.
One executive quoted in the 2002 article was Kip Tindell, CEO and President of The Container Store. Here's an excerpt from the article, and Tindell's thoughts on intuition:
"...it's no wonder that many executives and entrepreneurs take intuitive leaps. Management surveys have found that most executives rely on intuition to solve complex problems or make strategic decisions. 'Kids are raised to think that only logic applies to business," says Kip Tindell, CEO and president of The Container Store. "But some really wise person once wrote that intuition is merely the sum total of one's life experience. If that's the case, why would you leave that home when you come to the office?'
The Container Store began on a hunch born of frustration. Tindell and furniture designer Garrett Boone initially wanted to open a handcrafted-furniture shop. That went nowhere. In January 1978 they were "two guys in search of an idea" when Boone attended his first big home improvement show in Dallas. Driving home, he kept thinking about some weirdly cool products--for instance, a wire leaf barrel "that probably hadn't sold to anyone, because it was meant to burn leaves."
The organization industry didn't exist then. 'A lot of people thought it was odd to open a store selling empty boxes,' Tindell says. The first Container Store opened in July 1978--1,600 square feet filled with milk crates, Swedish wire shelving, and, of course, the wire leaf barrel. Today home organization is an estimated $3.2 billion industry. The Container Store has 2,000 employees, 28 stores, and projected 2002 sales of $300 million."
Now that we think about this, we get this issue all the time. Our organizing process is completely, 100% varied based on a person's particular needs. Some clients are more visual, some want things completely hidden. Some want organic "earth-friendly" products, another wants plastic. Some make decisions quickly, some take more time. Many want it to look beautiful, some want it to be more functional.
One thing we've learned: because no human is identical, no one gets the same coaching.
One thing for sure is that what we try and deliver organizing services for what you need, not what your neighbor tells you that you need. We follow our heart.
- Check out Fran Smith's Golden Gut article on Forbes.com
Over the weekend, think about how your life is guided by intuition and not so much planning. Then, please share your thoughts. We're listening.
