You’ve probably heard that intuition can be a valuable tool in business—but are you actually using it? Many entrepreneurs and professionals acknowledge that “gut feelings” have influenced some of their best decisions, yet few intentionally develop it. As opposed to what most believe, business intuition is a skill, not a gift, and it is available to everyone who puts time and intentionality into developing it.
In this article, we will cover the nuances of what intuition is, along with how to recognize your intuition and use it effectively to guide your business decisions.
What Is Intuition?
Intuition is part of your subconscious and comes from the right hemisphere of your brain. This is the area known to host our creative and imaginative thoughts. Your subconscious takes in billions of pieces of sensory data every day, but your conscious mind can only be aware of a tiny fraction of it. This leaves billions of additional data points in your subconscious as stored information that could be useful to you some day. And when it appears to be a situation where that obscured knowledge may be useful, your intuition is how the subconscious communicates the information to you.
People often recognize intuition as a “gut feeling” or unexplainable knowing. It’s your subconscious genius working behind the scenes. And when you learn how to recognize and listen to it, your business intuition will help you make decisions that your conscious analysis alone cannot.
Recognizing Intuition in Action
Try to remember a time when you just knew something without an obvious explanation of how or why you felt so strongly about it. It could relate to a feeling about a person, a business situation, or a personal decision that you were contemplating. You did not have all of the facts to analytically determine your understanding, but you knew what you knew. That was your subconscious bringing the information into your awareness through your intuition.
Most of us have experienced situations like this at least a few times in our lives; but often we ignored that nudge or knowing as an unfathomable possibility. Our cultures reinforce analysis and reason, and intuition is often written off as ill advised nonsense.
How to Develop Your Intuition
Just like riding a bike or learning a language, intuition is a skill that can be developed and will get stronger with practice. Here is a step by step process to begin, and within a couple of weeks you will be reaping the benefits.
Set an Intention
You must start with building a belief that you can access and develop your intuition. You do not need to have complete faith in your ability, but you do need to be open and curious.Ask the Right Questions
You want to ask yourself, and specifically your subconscious, open-ended questions to help you with any situation you have researched but are still unsure about. Craft questions that begin with how or what. Avoid closed or predictive questions like “Will this work?” Instead, ask:“What do I need to ask this possible client or new hire before making a decision?
“How can I manage this project more effectively?”
Let It Go
After asking your question, do not try to come up with an answer analytically. Try to stop thinking about it. Intuitive insights often arrive when your mind is relaxed and doing something repetitive such as walking, driving or chopping vegetables.Practice Daily
Give yourself five minutes a day to completely relax, tune inward, and ask yourself a question. Start with small, low-stakes or fun questions to get comfortable tuning into your intuition. For example:“What would I love to eat tonight?”
“How should I organize my schedule tomorrow?”
Benefits of Business Intuition
Data and analytics are powerful tools, but they do not always complete the story that your subconscious can tell. A well developed business intuition is able to rely on subtle signals that your conscious mind missed. It will help you:
Spot red flags in partnerships or deals
Recognize unseen opportunities
More easily align decisions with your long-term vision
Over time, as you become skilled and aware of your intuition, you will be surprised by how often it shows up to help you navigate your life and business.
Make Intuition Part of Your Business Strategy
You are not required to abandon logic in order to leverage your intuition. That is never wise. Developing your intuition allows you to leverage a balanced decision-making process that incorporates both the left and right sides of your brain. It can include your research and analysis in addition to your intuitive guidance.
Similar to every skill you have ever developed, as you practice you will find that your business intuition becomes sharper, more reliable and easier to leverage.