Evan Williams spoke at TED and shared the history of Twitter and some of his experiences as the leader there and elsewhere. The most impressive thing about his talk was when he explained how the biggest business decisions he ever made were based on following his hunches and obeying his gut instincts. Even though most would scoff at such a risky move, Even said he knew it was the right thing to do. After all, he launched the incredibly successful Blogger service on the same type of hunch and the rest is history.
The same thing happened with Twitter. He was in charge of Odeo and someone suggested an idea for a status update service and Even got that same old feeling in his gut. While others would have kept the blinders on during such a critical time in their company’s history, Even knew from experience that he shouldn’t ignore his hunches. Thus, he took the road less travelled and history repeated itself.
Here’s the speech from TED. It’s a valuable lesson not just for startups but for anyone chasing their dream. Always keep in touch with your instincts and trust your hunches. Even though the bottom line is all about numbers, don’t ignore the power of emotions when it comes to business.