Some of us have better instincts than others.

Some of us make decisions or suggestions based on "our gut", and they turn out right more frequently than the decisions of others.

Historically, we've attributed this to natural smarts and intelligence. And there very well may be some truth to that.

But I don't believe we're generally born with good instincts. I believe we learn them.

When we read a book, most of us quickly forget most of the contents. We remember maybe a few specific passages or ideas, but the rest is forgotten. Or is it?

The "rest" that we thought we had forgot isn't gone, it's just deep in our subconscious. But those insights are still vividly with us, and manifest themselves in our instincts.

We forget the case study, but remember the lesson. We forget the test, but remember the answer.

We can't always consciously recall the specific details or context of our instinctual decisions, but those decisions aren't random. They aren't generated just based on raw horse-power.

It's no coincidence that those around us with the best "instincts" also happen to be the best read - they have the largest libraries, read the most magazines, tend to forward around the most "FYI" articles for the rest of us to read.

Ask these people the details of a business book they read six months ago, and they likely won't be able to help you.

Ask them a business question based on the tenets of that book, and they'll give you an insightful, quite helpful answer.

How are you controlling, and improving, your instincts?