Can Your Gut Be Trusted?

Jul 1, 2007 12:00 PM, Larry Anderson, Editor

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff made headlines earlier this month when he announced that he had a “gut feeling” that al Qaeda is likely to commit a terrorist attack this summer.

Elsewhere in this very magazine, a certain female investigator acknowledges her use of women's intuition: “We get that ‘gut feel’ and we are almost always right.”

But what exactly is that “gut feeling” and what is its role in today's security practice?

I wonder how many of our readers rely on their “guts” when making decisions related to the security of their companies or institutions. And what is the source of the “gut feel?” Can it be traced to the benefit of years of accumulated experience in dealing effectively with all kinds of risks? Is it a function of the fact that many of our readers have been around long enough to have “seen it all?” That there isn't really anything new under the sun, just variations of the same thing coming around at different times? Is there some subliminal thought process at work, taking into account the sum-total of experience and knowledge, distilling it into a workable conclusion that presents itself in the ethereal form of a “feeling?” Can it be trusted? Should it be acted upon?

I would guess that most security professionals would act on a gut feeling if it were strong enough. Many probably have stories about when reacting to a gut feeling had a good outcome.

But as security professionals and business executives seek to make the benefits of security more measurable, where does the condition of one's gut fit in? With security issues closely intermingled with business issues, where does a security professional find the leeway to react to his gut? How do you justify it to the CEO? In making the practice of security accountable to business forces and regulatory restrictions, are we losing the benefit to be realized from allowing security professionals to do their best work based on their internal storehouse of knowledge and experience?

My gut is still wondering … I'll get back to you.

We welcome feedback: E-mail landerson@securitysolutions.com

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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