Misplacing car keys, glasses, wallet, or an important document is a familiar experience
for most people. Often when something is missing, friends, family members, or co-workers join the search party,
retracing steps and recalling any unusual activities leading up to the loss. Even with such a helpful search
party, the missing item may remain hidden. When this has happened to me, I have learned to rely on my intuition
to locate quickly and effortlessly any lost item. If a valuable document were misplaced and needed for an important
business meeting, staff members could exert considerable time and energy searching for the lost paper until it
is finally found, mistakenly filed in a different room. Intuition, however, could have been used effortlessly and
quickly to locate the lost document. The “intuitive one” would “see,” sense, or simply “know” that the document
was inadvertently put in the distant file cabinet.
Retrieving lost objects is not the only value of intuition. For example, an intuitive realtor
or sales director who has been anticipating a client’s arrival notes that the expected party is at least 20 minutes
late for the appointment. Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts, such as a possible accident or the client’s
presumed forgetfulness, the intuitive person simply “knows” that the latecomer is stuck in traffic.
Another illustration of intuition in action is the way Marge, an office supervisor at an
insurance company, uses it in hiring. She often needs to know more about the job applicant sitting across from
her than a résumé or short interview reveals. Marge says that applicants who didn’t work out after
she hired them were the ones she had a gut feeling should be interviewed further. Now she relies strongly on her
intuition. By holding the application and remaining still after the interview, she senses if the person is worth
hiring.
Hilda, who works in international banking, is often required to predict the direction of
the stock market. In taking frequent risks she follows hunches, which she finds has paid dividends. On one occasion
the advice of brokers and her own left-brain logic told Hilda to hang onto some stock that she owned. But her “intuitive
voice” said it would be smarter to sell the stock, and she did. By doing so, she avoided losing quite a large sum
of money.
How about Sally who vacillated about selling her house for years? Finally she called the
realtor and found out they were just about to call her to see if she was still interested in selling the house.
Her realtor “simply knew” she was ready to sell.
What is this mysterious intuitive force? Intuition is a clear way of knowing without being
able to explain how one knows. As the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung pointed out, intuition helps us recognize possibilities
and implications, which are not readily apparent.
Everyone has intuition. For some it is readily available. For others, it remains unused.
Men and women use their intuitive abilities to cope with changes that occur daily in their work and their personal
lives. For many, intuitive ability is undeveloped and lying dormant under years of logical, rational, calculated
decision-making.
The word intuition simply means inner teaching,
meaning that answers and wisdom come from the inner teacher. With practice, anyone can learn how to manage
intuitively or address any problematic situation by “tuning in within” to receive the best guidance. Also, by developing
intuition, people can assume the role of their own parent, teacher, counselor, and friend, who can capably respond
to any dilemma alone.
Intuition can be used for major decisions or in seemingly small ones. Someone might go
into a video store to rent a movie and simply know which will be enjoyable even though all the titles are unfamiliar.
Or a person meets someone at work that he likes immediately. He senses that the newcomer will be helpful at work,
cooperative, and will make interesting conversation about mutual interests. This selective intuitive beacon often
brings the right people together.
Sometimes a decision has to be made before all the facts are available. Intuition comes
to the rescue. The intuitive mind will highlight the right choice or even present unforeseen options.
Intuition can be used when major changes are taking place at a work setting, in order to
prepare new employees for new styles and policies. Intuitively one senses how to anticipate and cope with
imminent changes. Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine, aptly describes this process by saying, “Intuition
will tell the thinking mind where to look next.”
Intuition can be an invaluable technological resource. Industrial giants like Conrad Hilton,
J.P. Morgan, Lee Iaccocca, and former president of General Motors, Alfred Sloan, have freely admitted to using
intuition or “hunches” in critical decision-making situations. They join artists, inventors, politicians, and others
who have listened to an inner voice guiding them through vital problem-solving situations.
Intuition goes by many names. Many people in business pass it off as “my gut feeling” or
a premonition. Some business people may brag about their business acumen in making the right bid, while others
will talk about making a good guess. Other words used interchangeably with intuition are insight, right mode, right
brain, instinct, ESP, and prognostication. All of these related words mean an inner awareness of outer events.
Intuition unveils suitable answers and helps make the right connection.
With practice, intuition can be strengthened to sharpen attunement to the thoughts, feelings,
and actions of others. An intuitive vocabulary of words like “sensed,” “knew,” “felt,” and “attuned” can appropriately
be used. Intuitive actions can then be appropriately described by phrases such as: I knew
you would get the job; I felt
you were ill; I sensed your loving thoughts; I was attuned to your sadness.
An example of people managing intuitively occurred to my husband and me while driving to
Florida one winter when we hit a traffic jam that stopped all cars. We waited for about five minutes when suddenly
I had an irresistible urge to get off the freeway. We got out at the next exit and drove into a nearby gas station.
Guess what? Our car engine had overheated, boiled over, and needed water and time to quiet down. Another bonus
from following my intuitive prompting to leave the interstate highway was that in the ladies room I overheard someone
describing the five-mile back-up due to construction. We then found out how to take a rarely traveled detour to
avoid this delay We not only saved hours of time but the emotional wear and tear of crawling along bumper-to-bumper.
Had I not listened to my inner voice, that part of our trip would have been a hardship.
Business decisions often require intuitive decisions. In his role as supervisor of labor
relations, for example, Tom cannot always compile all the necessary facts before he acts, such as during
contract negotiations. He is often faced with making a decision the night a contract expires. Such a time limitation
precludes a fact-centered decision. To avoid a strike, Tom has to rely on his intuition in negotiating a
settlement.
John, a fundraiser for a major organization, has to work with civic and community leaders
to create, develop, and implement financially successful events. Intuitive flashes, integrated with the logic of
experience, show him how to shape such events. Jim feels that honoring hunches and thinking outrageously
keeps him one step ahead—if applied with common sense.
I know the owner of an advertising company who is quite flippant and flexible in her business
dealings. She had no qualms about starting a new division some 80 miles away one day, and the next day deciding
to buy land and becoming a real estate developer. She made these decisions with incomplete information, and occasionally
finds that preferable. She attributes her company’s success and low employee turnover to her reliance on intuition.
The cornerstone of the intuitive process is imagery An intuitive solution or direction,
presented by the inner mind, often appears in the form of an image or symbol. For example, the electricity suddenly
goes out at 9 a.m. and the intuitive mind probes to find out when the current will be restored. With visual imagery
the clock face appears to the inner mind as 10:20 a.m. People who do not see images but sense through impressions
would simply know the right time. Those who hear inwardly would listen to learn what time the power would return.
And if feelings were activated, a person might feel the 10:20 a.m. time.
Here is an exercise to help us begin managing intuitively:
• Select a Problem: Briefly and cogently put a problem into question form. For example,
“Shall I put my house on the market next spring?” Or, “How many people will attend the workshop next week?” Questions
answered by a Yes or No response are preferable initially
• Receptivity: Find a quiet place. If it is noisy, move. When inner thoughts or emotions
prove distracting, try to silence these intruders by saying, “Peace, be still.” Quiet your prevailing agitation
by taking a fantasy trip to a favorite setting where relaxation is possible.
• Imagery: Ask the question and notice what happens. Is the imagery experienced by seeing,
hearing, feeling, or sensing? Be creative when eliciting imagery. For example, two placards might appear with the
words “yes” and “no” featured. Or, someone may hang a banner from the window saying “yes” or “no.” Look for other
information.
• Evaluation: The answer might be clear and literal. Other times the symbolism has to be
unraveled. Is there anything to decipher in this situation? Venture a guess as to what the symbolic pictures or
images mean. Continue amplifying or freely associating with that symbol. Finally, the underlying meaning of the
symbolism is intuited. For example, a salesperson who is wondering about negotiating with a competitor sees the
symbol of an egg. When amplifying, the following associations are revealed:
new project, beginning, embryo phase, and Easter time. The realization finally comes that
the egg is hard boiled, intuitively telling the sales-person to take a hard line.
Another intuitive problem-solving exercise goes like this:
• Problem: What is the best time to approach someone for a favor?
• Receptivity: Concentrate on breathing. Take a deep yoga breath by inhaling for five counts,
holding five counts, and exhaling five counts. Repeat this procedure twice. Once more, deeply inhale and become
aware of the life force entering the body, giving renewed energy While exhaling, let go of waste and fatigue.
Now that the breath has been deepened, close both eyes and begin to relax by letting go
of tension in each bodily part. Start at the bottom of the feet and work up to the top of the head. If any tension
point remains, gently tell that body part to relax so the whole body feels completely at peace, while visualization
and communication with the inner mind continues.
If relaxation is elusive, think of a peaceful scene such as a quiet lake with a solitary
fisherman angling from his boat. Repeat a phrase like “peace, be still” to feel more relaxed. A soothing piece
of music without lyrics will encourage relaxation and inner mind receptivity.
• Imagery: Sitting quietly, pose the question about approaching the particular person for
a favor. At the same time, creatively visualize encountering this person. Any inner intuitive direction will come
in the form of a word, sentence, impression, symbol, or image. Press on for specific details by posing further
questions. For example, ask which day of the week is best for making this request and see the days pass by in succession.
Remember, the eyes are closed and you are using inner creative visualization to see the images. In this way, each
day named can stand up. Notice if any particular day lights up or is dramatized in any way to signal the
right day for the approach.
After the right day is intuitively discovered, the next question is presented. Ask, “When
is the best time to request this favor?” Cards can flash in the inner mind reading: “Morning,” “Afternoon,” or
“Evening.” Then focus on the specific hour by seeing the numbers I to 12 come forth on separate cards. Remember
this is inner visualization or imagery and you will see, hear, sense, or feel the answer.
• Evaluation: The day and time have been isolated. If any other questions arise related
to the request or proper word choice, proceed in the same manner by bringing all possibilities into the visualization
sequence so the intuitive mind can respond.
Using intuition to elicit new choices strengthens our intuitive powers. In time, answers
will come rapidly and unprecedented decisions will be made confidently This intuitive part of the self has the
potential to be an outstanding critic, informant, and prognosticator of future events. The flashes of insight sensed
during waking moments, along with tidbits of information revealed in dreams or during meditation, all come from
intuition or inner teaching. These insights can provide the necessary inspiration to help us manage intuitively
in coping with any problematic situation in business or our personal lives.
* This article originally appeared in Venture Inward, Jan/Feb,
1990. Reprinted by permission of the author. Copyright © 1990 Marcia Emery
