By Satish Thiagarajan
Intuition used to be something of a be-all for CEOs. But with transparency and accountability now prominent business priorities, gut instinct is no longer enough. In this piece, Brysa’s CEO, Satish Thiagarajan, discusses how data-driven tools, such as CRM systems, analytics platforms, and predictive forecasting, can empower leaders to make better decisions quickly. Intuition isn’t dead, but it does need to be substantiated.
The role of the CEO isn’t what it once was. The gut and bravado that once made careers isn’t enough to ensure success in a period characterised by disruption, volatility, and stakeholder scrutiny. Intuition helps, but you can’t rely on it alone to see you through the everyday complexities associated with running a business. Not when one mistake can have lasting consequences for everyone connected to the company. That’s why data is playing an increasingly important role in the lives of all CEOs. Bringing unexpected insight and much-needed clarity, it can support CEOs in a way that instinct has never been able to. You just need to know how to use it properly.
Why data can be worth more than intuition
You don’t have to dig deep into business history to find cautionary tales of leaders who paid the price for relying too heavily on gut feeling. From Kodak to Nokia, some of the world’s most iconic companies have stuck to what they knew, placing instinct over insight and dismissing emerging data trends, only to lose millions in market value and be confronted by a steep decline in relevance. Showing clearly that no one is immune to disruption. The take home here, however, isn’t that there intuition was wrong or even completely lacking, the problem came from the decision to ignore the data. Intuition can carry enormous value for a business, but it has to be supported by something firmer. When that doesn’t happen, small risks can quickly multiply. For Kodak, digital disruption led directly to capital misallocation and slower responses to market shifts. For others, it’s resulted in regulatory mishaps, compliance breaches, and even the erosion of talent and company culture. All things that the strategic use of data could have helped to prevent.
Data doesn’t just validate your intuition, it opens your perspective, and allows you to make your strategies defensible. The idea is to ground every vision and every decision in evidence. But you need tools to do that.
What tools can help CEOs access the data they need?
There’s a whole host of business tech on the market, and it’s changing so fast that much of what you see today will have been replaced by the same time next year. So, how do you know which tools to invest in for longer-term value?
CRM systems
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems used to be little more than sales tools, but they are now providing CEOs with the data they need to make better decisions. So, whether you choose Salesforce, Monday.com, Microsoft Dynamics, the core objective is to amalgamate customer data across every touchpoint, monitor interactions across departments, and deliver real-time visibility into pipeline performance, customer satisfaction, and revenue trends. Add in integrated analytics and customisable dashboards, and you can transform raw data into actionable insights that directly support growth, innovation, and long-term customer loyalty, basically helping your business to stay ahead.
Reporting and analytics tools
Raw data is notoriously difficult to interpret, which is why you need reporting and analytics tools. Platforms like Tableau, Power BI, and Looker transform large volumes of unstructured data into meaningful, visual insights that are easy to understand and act on. These tools allow CEOs and leadership teams to track KPIs in real time, identify trends, and put their focus where it’s needed most. By cutting through the noise, analytics tools provide a clear picture of a business’ performance, so it’s easier to measure success, spot risks early, and make confident, data-driven decisions.
Predictive analytics and forecasting tools
While it’s impossible to predict the future with absolute certainty, predictive analytics and forecasting tools do a pretty good job. With solutions like Salesforce Einstein Analytics, SAP Analytics Cloud, and IBM Watson, historical and real-time data is used to identify patterns, anticipate market shifts, and model future scenarios. And it’s surprisingly accurate. Helping you to spot risks before they happen, plan stock and staff allocation, and act on opportunities before your competition.
Collaboration tools
This one isn’t so much about decision-making, but rather ensuring that any decisions you do make are effectively communicated, understood, and implemented across the business. Using platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Salesforce Chatter can help both leadership and the wider staff to share knowledge and enhance both transparency and accountability.
A dashboard tool
Your dashboard tool is your way to bring everything else together. Because, what’s the point in having all of these tools if you don’t monitor and use them properly? A good dashboard tool, like Microsoft Power BI, Tableau, and Google Looker Studio, will provide you with a real-time, visual overview of the metrics that matter most to your business. It doesn’t matter what you’re tracking, if it’s important, it should be available through your dashboard, delivering what I like to call a single source of truth for your business.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that intuition doesn’t matter. Of course it does. But it’s no longer enough on its own. Businesses and customers now demand transparency and accountability above all else, and your gut instinct simply can’t deliver that. But when you reinforce it with data, you can speak with the confidence of irrefutable facts at your fingertips.
Satish Thiagarajan
