20 leaders: Data or gut instinct?

Data is increasingly available on almost every aspect of business: market research, sales, social media, financial metrics. But just because it’s available, should it be used for all decision-making? We asked our Fast Company Impact Council how they balance data-driven decision-making with their gut instinct. The answers may surprise you. 1. USE ALL AVAILABLE INFORMATION AT YOUR DISPOSAL Data-driven decision-making and gut instinct is a false dichotomy. Using data to make decisions often requires significant amounts of gut instinct as no study or metric ever delivers certainty. Being a good product and experience leader is about using all of the available information at your disposal from the data, your team, your long-range objectives, and your lived experience to make the smartest decisions possible. — Peter Smart, Fantasy 2. SET A TIMELINE FOR DECISIONS My company is completely committed to a data-driven approach. We collect data on every function, customer, product action, and employee and I see that as a real strength of what we do as an organization. However, the data almost never provides “the answer.” It’s like talking to my high school daughter about future college and job choices. We gather as much information as we can (in the time we have), but we have to decide with imperfect information. Work is exactly the same. The key is setting a timeline for decisions and gathering as much information as you can before making the final decision, with your gut helping to balance risk. — Thomas Scott, Wrike 3. PATTERN RECOGNITION AND EXPERIENCE MATTER MORE Data shows you what worked. It rarely tells you what’s next. In a market evolving as fast as agentic AI, pattern recognition and experience matter more than any dashboard. I use data to frame the problem, then trust my instincts and move fast. Hesitate, and the window closes. Make the call, learn quickly, and iterate. That’s how you stay ahead. — Lior Div, 7AI 4. DATA IS OFTEN RICHER IN THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR Data a