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The E-Factor

E File | Posted on August 25, 2010

As I celebrate my mom's birthday today, I'm reminded of key lessons she taught me that have tremendously benefited me in my adult life, both personally and professionally. Two examples:

  1. Be kind and only touch what's yours, and
  2. Go with your gut.

Go with your gut—what does that mean? I recently read an article in the Harvard Business Review (September 2010) which reported that the best strategic thinkers show more activity in parts of the brain linked with emotion and intuition.

Am I saying that most CEOs should be women? Not necessarily. I'm simply stating that women should embrace any emotions they have that cause them to be empathetic toward others and invested in a project. Such emotions will help them to anticipate and assess problems.

I surmise that most people make decisions based on emotions or ego, whether they recognize it or not. Wouldn't you rather make decisions based on healthy emotions, rather than on ego?