What Can Business Intuition Do For You?
by Elise Lebeau, M.Sc., Professional Intuitive
In “The America We Deserve”, Trump declares “I’ve built a multi-billion empire by using my intuition”. During a recent national address to business women in Chicago, Oprah says “my business skills have come from being guided by my inner self – my intuition”. And Gates admits that “sometimes, you have to rely in intuition”.
These famous billionaires publicly recommend the use intuition in business. But what do they mean by that? Do they even mean the same thing? And, most importantly, how can you get in on this intuition thing?
In my career as a Professional Intuitive, I always receive different answers when I ask someone their definition of intuition. Some talk of a “gut feeling”, where they experience a specific emotional trigger that is interpreted as “yes” or “no” for a particular business decision. Others have original ideas that didn’t come from the rational foundation of the mind. That’s how Einstein and Edison describe their creative process. There is also the psychic definition where someone acquires information about other people, places or future events that simply comes to them, without any further explanation of origin.
Even when I talk with other professionals in this field, their definitions differ. And rightly so. Intuition is experienced differently from person to person. As such, there is no need to categorize one type of experience as being better than another…as long as they achieve their ultimate purpose: financial success.
Trump and Oprah didn’t start advocating intuition in business after taking a class and learning a definition for this concept. They built hard core experiential evidence that this works for them, in the form of net worth. This is the approach that I find most productive: business intuition as a result-based method.
We tend to be afraid or ashamed of what we don’t understand. I can’t tell you how many times I have introduced myself as a Professional Business Intuitive only to see raised eyebrows and quizzical looks. But the global market is putting more and more pressure on American businesses to adopt non-traditional business models where success is not determined by a set of pre-defined rules that you learn in your MBA.
So what can you get from Business Intuition? The most useful tool of all: Leverage.
If you think your accountant is tweaking the books, you don’t need an Intuitive Assessment©: you need an auditor. But if your profits are plummeting and you have no idea why or you’re about to partner with someone you don’t know, then Business Intuition can provide leverage in a situation where you have none.
Business Intuition is not about to replace a good market research or a deep understanding of your field. But you know that there is more to it than that. Otherwise you’d be at the top already! Trump and Oprah’s success did not come from sheer luck. Nor is it related to their super human IQ. And yet it is repeatable: they turn every project into a success. And they both admit that Intuition is their secret ingredient to sustainable success.
People who are interested in intuition tend to fall in two categories: they want to learn how to do it themselves or they are looking for a reliable Professional to do it for them. Intuition is no different than accounting: it takes time to learn. As such, most people end up doing a blend of the two approaches. They ask a consultant when they’re in a jam while they develop their own skills with an Intuition Coach.
What ever you choose to do, opening the door to intuition in your company is the first step towards your very own Midas Touch!
Elise Lebeau, M.Sc. is a Professional Business Intuitive, providing a result-oriented approach to strategic business planning. She offers individual consultations and Corporate trainings.