Tuning In To Intuition at the Office Part One: Where Do You Stand? When you arrive at the office each weekday morning do you check your intuition at the door? Perhaps you believe that listening to your inner vision is a skill that should be relegated to the more personal realms of home, mothering and family. Or perhaps you feel unspoken pressure from your professional colleagues and corporate community to rely solely on intellect and willpower. Perhaps you are afraid to trust your "gut feelings" over your personal experience because you fear censure or, even, ridicule. If so, you are not alone. According to Corporate Performance Consultant Karen Goodfellow, "Intuition is repeatedly listed as one of the primary principles of business leadership, yet rarely, if ever, have I found a leadership course that offers a component on 'developing intuition.' The problem isn't that executives don't talk about intuition in my workshops, the problem is that they don't talk about it EVER. The subject is still pretty much taboo. Not because anyone scorns using intuition, but because most people don't realize that they are already using it or are not familiar with ways to actively listen to their inner voice." Perhaps the most challenging aspect in learning to trust your intuition is realizing that the messages you receive will probably defy logical and linear thinking. As Author Wendy Burt points out, practicing small leaps of faith can lead to personal and professional growth in the long run. "I have made a practice of listening to my inner voice when it shows me a path that I might have otherwise looked past out of fear. Taking a leap of faith might mean helping a stranger, risking a comfortable job for a more fulfilling and challenging position, or trusting a friend. Listening to my instincts has helped me to step outside my comfort zone, which has, in turn, allowed me to grow." In indigenous societies, intuitive knowledge is an inherent part of the "reality" of the tribe. It is not considered a "special gift" of the few; rather it is considered the collective responsibility of every individual to share what they know. Without the benefit of wisdom in balance with intelligence, corporations suffer. Human Resources Consultant, Laura Benjamin explains, "If women only rely on logic or facts to make decisions in the workplace, we are only operating on half our cylinders. We need to draw from all aspects of sensory and intellectual data to complete the picture." Intuitive Success Stories If you feel tentative about using your intuition at the office, then these success stories may inspire you to take your passing insights more seriously: Business travel with all of its tight connections, unexpected changes, and lost luggage is an especially important time to be in contact with your intuition. Former Manager of Corporate Development Kathy Diekroeger remembers that her former boss at a large communications firm had an amazing sixth sense. "We were going on a business trip to Taiwan and we both lived on the East Bay. We needed to get to San Francisco International Airport, which involved going through the Caldecott Tunnel and across the Bay Bridge. My boss wanted to leave really early "just in case," so we did, and we made it to the airport with no trouble. We later learned that a big fire had spread rapidly in the East Bay hills and the tunnel was closed shortly after we passed through. I couldn't believe how "lucky" we were. Without her foresight, we definitely would have missed our flight." On any given day at the office you have many opportunities to "hear" more than what clients, colleagues, and superiors are "saying." Cincinnati Lawyer Emily Briscoe shares, "When I was a lawyer in private practice I used my intuition to tell which clients were not worth working for, no matter what the fee. I found it particularly useful in domestic relations cases, especially when working on divorce settlements. Being able to understand the unspoken motivations of the parties allowed me to keep outside issues from being "deal breakers." >>PART TWO: Practicing Intuitive Awareness Christina Katz is a speaker, author, and writing coach from Wilsonville, Oregon. Christina offers presentations on the topics of making time for yourself and writing and publishing nonfiction articles. She coaches writers, artists, and professionals to compose authentic, compelling communications and offers manuscript and copy evaluations. To subscribe to her free newsletter "Writers on the Rise," email christinakatz@earthlink.net. Christina's next book is "The Art of Making Time for Yourself," based on her article of the same name. For more information, please visit http://www.christinakatz.com.