There is a difference between pattern recognition and revelatory knowledge. A leader must realize when their perception is connected to the extension of a familiar pattern because such patterns can be disrupted, leading to a surprise outcome. Beyond this, whether the leader has a strong theological orientation or not, there is a sort of revelatory experience that the leader sometimes experiences. It comes in the form of an inexplicable knowing. A leader will somehow know, absolutely know, without any plausible explanation, a fragment of vital information (perhaps an event which is coming).
This knowing transcends pattern recognition, and it very well may transcend explanation. That does not change its remarkable power. Whether he can explain why he knows or not, the (brute) fact that he knows is still important. There is a categorical difference between pattern recognition and this sort of inexplicable knowing. The leader can move tentatively around the implications of pattern recognition, but he must move decisively when he experiences that sort of transcendent knowing. This is when discretion and courage become an essential dyad.