Over fourteen years ago I was sitting on the floor of the university social area chatting with a girl about what she should do. I was able to offer not much more than, “Trust your intuition”. That week she became my girlfriend. Several years later I suddenly knew we would be married. Now she’s my wife.
Malcolm Gladwell takes trusting intuition to new heights in his most recent book, [Blink](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316172324/ref=nosim/ quantumgarden-20). With the same enticing blend of illustrative stories backed by explanation he shows us why we must develop trust in the ability of our subconscious to make split-second decisions.
Gladwell introduces the concept of thin-slicing as that thing we do in an instant. Call it intuition, an inkling or even ESP, it seems that we have a fantastic ability to sum up certain situations in an instant. With that comes another fantastic ability to then get in our own way by trying to provide a rational, logical explanation.
I remember times playing cricket when I was younger that I would already be moving in the right direction, anticipating fully and precisely where the batsman was going to hit the ball, sometimes even before it was bowled. Something in their body language gave it away and my experience kicked in. That’s thin-slicing.
There are strategies presented throughout the book which show how to maximise thin-slicing and how to recognise when it doesn’t work. I loved hearing about the Vietnam Vet who managed to destroy the plans of the Pentagon during exercises run about 18 months prior to the invasion of Irag. I also understand why I have to practice dialling 000 for emergencies.
As a coach I am trained to listen to my intuition and bring it forth in coaching conversations. Now that I can see what is really happening, [Blink](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316172324/ref=nosim/ quantumgarden-20) has turned my intuition into a productive tool in all areas of life. Another piece in the puzzle of life is complete.