USING INTUITION IN BUSINESS
Letting Your Gut Feelings Be Your Guide

By John Harricharan


It was a hot, summer's afternoon as I once again trudged the
pavements of the big city.  Armed with the trappings of academia, I
was dropping off my resume at various employment agencies in the
hope of finding a job. It seemed unthinkable that I could not find
employment, but it had been weeks since I started and
discouragement was beginning to set in.

In an effort to bolster my sagging confidence, I lifted up my eyes and
shouted, "Look out world, here I come! I've got my BS and ... ." As if
in a flash, a voice in my head interrupted, "Sit down, son, I'll teach
you the rest of the alphabet."  Humbled and tired, I thought I would
rest awhile on the small bench in the park across the street. Slowly I
walked over and sat down.

Laying next to me on the bench was a small, white, rectangular
piece of paper. On closer examination, I discovered that it was a
business card, perhaps inadvertently dropped by someone in a
hurry. I reached for it and read the name of an employment agency
which I had not yet visited. Following my feelings, even though it
seemed ridiculous, I called the agency and that was how I found my
first job with a Fortune 500 company. Years later, looking back at
the experiences of that long ago summer's day, I would sometimes
wonder what paths my career would have taken had I not picked up
that business card.

In this busy world, we, most times, get caught up in the everyday,
mundane activities of "making a living" instead of  "living a making"
or "making a life."  In the "hallowed halls of ivy" we have been
taught that we must "believe what we see" instead of "seeing what
we believe." Yet, deep within each of us, is a small voice speaking
of things as they really are, a voice muffled, at times, by our formal
education or early learning.

Somehow, I have always felt that data is obtained through the use of
both intuition and tuition and that these methods work in synergy
resulting in the best of all worlds. Everyone is heir to the fantastic
guidance mechanism that dwells within. It does not respect
personalities or professions, but functions for the clerk as well as the
clergyman, the farmer as the factory worker, the business executive
as the busboy (busperson?) and the doctor as well as the delivery
person. However, many people are not even aware of its existence,
and so, they flounder around in their various jobs and living
conditions, feeling they must react to every circumstance that faces
them.

One area of great interest to me is business. Having obtained the
formal requirements of the corporate world - degrees in chemistry
and business - I threw my heart and mind into the jobs at hand. It
mattered not whether it was a small company with 20 or 30
employees or a Fortune 500 enterprise with tens of thousands, I
noticed that all businesses, large, medium or small, employed
people and that all people had the potential for developing their
intuitive abilities to assist them in the decision making process.

Certainly, I had acquired a few advantages, like the formal, orthodox
business training and the experience I obtained along the way. But,
so had many others. The other part of my education, however, had
not been received from universities but from spiritual teachers, from
long walks in the woods, from meditation, and quiet, "alone" times. It
was not too difficult to figure that a blending of both orthodox and
unorthodox education could serve more efficiently.

It is not to say that I did not rely on computer print-outs, proper
communication methods or other good business tools. I did. But I
brought the added dimension of the unseen world into my work and
discovered that by supplementing logic with intuition, success led to
success and in the corporate world, I found my place assured. I
would walk into meetings and instead of listening to the words of the
participants, I would pick up on the feelings emanating from them.
This would give me a much better idea of what was really transpiring
and far more reliable data upon which to act.

I also used this technique in hiring people and was better able to
weed out the undesirables from the start.  However, it is not only in
the people area that intuitive management should be used. It has a
direct effect on the profitability and well-being of a corporation. It is
an "uncommon sense" way to keep machines running, work flowing
and productivity increasing. In one case, it even saved my life.

It was early in my business career and I was working as a production
supervisor in a large chemical plant. Business was excellent, so
much so, that the plant was running 24 hours a day and still could
not produce all the "widgets" needed for unfilled orders. As a result,
not much attention was given to servicing the giant machines
necessary for efficient production. The idea was to keep  producing
and fix the machines, if or when they broke down.

I was responsible for a department that used in its production, some
specific chemicals which could be explosive under certain
conditions. I scanned the production sheet to see which of my crew
was scheduled to work that Saturday. Suddenly I felt a strange urge
to inspect an area where I normally would not go. There was no
reason for me to do this but the urge was so strong that I turned
around and walked toward a number of machines. Everything
seemed normal as the sounds of machinery and people filled the air.
Then I heard someone call my name. I turned around but saw no
one.

Puzzled, I leaned against a large wooden crate and watched the
wheels turn. And as they turned, I heard more voices. This time they
seemed to be coming from the machines. The conversation went
something like this: "We cannot continue at this pace for long."

"I know, let's finish this job and then tomorrow we'll go."

"They don't even care ... not even an hour's rest."

"Enough is enough. Back to the junk pile we go."

"John cares about us though. So he mustn't get hurt. Hope he
doesn't come to work tomorrow."

And then the voices stopped and everything seemed normal again.
Yet, I could not shake this feeling of foreboding. Finally, I went back
to my office, called in the foreman and told him to cancel all
scheduled work in my department for the weekend. That was on a
Friday afternoon.

At home on Saturday morning the phone rang. It was the security
officer at the plant. He wanted to inform me that a short while ago,
there was a violent explosion in my department. The roof was blown
off and fire and metal were all around. The fire department was
there and they were trying to keep the blaze under control. He ended
his conversation by saying, "And Mr. H., strange as it may seem, no
one was injured because there was nobody in your department at
the time."

Just mentioning that I thought I heard machines conversing among
themselves would have been cause enough for top management to
banish me to the New Jersey home for the mentally bewildered. But
I did not tell anyone. I just cancelled the shift and as a result, save a
number of lives, including my own.

The conscious mind receives data from both the physical and non-
physical senses. Many times, however, it chooses to ignore that
which did not originate from the physical and in doing so, works with
a handicap. The various areas of our mind were designed to work in
harmony with each other. But for this to occur, you must first believe
it to be possible and then give yourself permission to accept
information from sources other than those that can be detected by
the physical senses.

It seems that under certain conditions of quietness, one can become
aware of a much larger spectrum of life and information than is
ordinarily thought to be available. The simple practice of meditation
heightens this ability to be aware and makes it possible for one to
use the information to become more successful.

Sometimes the data obtained from non-physical senses will just
confirm what logic was telling you all along. There are times,
however, when the feelings within seem to contradict all aspects of
logic and good judgment. At such times, it is necessary to seek
some quiet time to re-evaluate situations. I generally use logic to
confirm my intuitive insights. If there is a conflict between the two, I
usually go with my intuition. Whenever I listen to my inner voice
while giving due consideration to proper planning and good business
judgment, I succeed brilliantly. When I base decisions solely on logic
and situations as they seem to be, I fail miserably or at the most,
perform with mediocrity.

Over the years I have learned to pay attention to the guidance
within. At times, my logically trained mind almost rebels at my
seemingly contrary decisions in the light of glaring evidence.
Sometimes the physical evidence is so strong that your friends,
neighbors and co-workers may think that you must be out of your
mind to do anything differently. And yet, by  being so certain of the
validity of the deep inner voice, I have turned tragedy into triumph
and guilt into glory. As an example, I recall another incident that
precisely illustrates this point.

It was during my last days as a Fortune 500 executive. At that time
the decision to break away and go into business for myself had been
reached. I had already made a name for myself in the corporate
world and my future appeared to be bright. Yet, I felt that I had to
build my own company, much to the disappointment of my friends
and business associates. Again, the voice was speaking to me.

Our first child was only six months old and with my wife not working,
I was told by others that I was taking a great financial risk.
Nevertheless, I listened to the inner voice and started a small
company in the basement of our house. From the very  beginning
things started to go wrong. Many were the times I reflected on the
wisdom of continuing, yet, I persisted, always buoyed up by the
gentle, spiritual calm inside. Most of my money had now run out and
things looked bleak indeed.

One evening, while on a long walk, I stopped under a large oak tree
and looked up into the heavens. Then it happened again. I heard a
voice say, "Get yourself a ticket to Sao Paulo, Brazil and attend the
International Trade Conference there." That was crazy, I thought. I
didn't even know anyone there and even if I did, what good would it
do anyway? However, intent on following any lead, I took the last of
our savings and a few  weeks later was on my way to attend the
conference in Brazil. It was a most disappointing experience. No
business, no leads, only frustration. All I now had was my return
ticket and just a few remaining dollars in my pocket. I was about
ready to give up.

Leaving Brazil while it was still dark, I fell into a fitful sleep. When I
awoke we were high above the jungles of South America and I could
see by the dawn's early light, way off in the distance, that most
mysterious of rivers known as the Amazon. Looking down, I was
fascinated by its rare, other-worldly beauty and found a sense of
peace and joy welling up within me.

I was totally absorbed in the beauty of the scene when I suddenly
heard a voice within me say, "When you get back, why don't you go
to see Mr. X of the XYZ Corporation? There is something that both
of you would benefit from. Then just as suddenly, the voice was
gone. The rest of the trip was uneventful.

On the following day an appointment was made with Mr. X and I
went to see him. A long discussion followed in which it seemed that
Mr. X's organization needed some very specialized services which
my company could provide. I was in the right place at the right time.
What resulted was one of the most amazing deals I have ever
made. Within weeks I had gone from depression to dollars. From
then on my little company grew so fast that within a few years we
had representatives or offices in the Caribbean, Great Britain, Africa
and India. All of this because I had followed the inner voice which
spoke to me that day high above the Amazon river.

These specific events should not be considered peculiar, unusual or
rare. Guidance in business or any other area occurs constantly. We
must learn to trust our feelings and to distinguish between facts and
opinions. By looking with the proper perspective, we may discover
that what we consider to be facts may not have been facts at all, but
simply opinions. Like anything else, the shortcut in developing this
potential is practice, practice, practice. The price one pays in
persistency and time is well worth the results that are to be obtained.

Today we use these same abilities to assist us in reaching our
business goals. Of course my MBA degree is a valuable asset, as it
provides the necessary climate and comfort among my clients and
helps me in relating to them in a business-like manner. However, my
intuitive awareness makes it possible for me to assist them on
another level. The combination of intuition and logic has worked
extremely well. In fact, this is a prime example of the whole being
greater than the sum of its parts.

The ability to blend the seemingly diverse worlds of business and
intuition can precipitate a well-managed and efficient organization
whose bottom-line profits may only be matched by the joy, success
and fulfillment its employees and owners receive.


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 (C) Copyright1995, John Harricharan
This article by John Harricharan first appeared, in a slightly different
format, in Body, Mind and Spirit magazine. For permission to reprint,
please contact the author.

John Harricharan is the award-winning author of "When You Can
Walk on Water, Take the Boat" and "Morning Has Been All
Night Coming" (Berkley Books in North America and
HarperCollins in Great Britain and Australia.) John is a unique
blend of the pragmatic west and the mystical east. He is a
summa cum laude graduate with degrees in Chemistry and an
MBA from Rutgers University. For more information on John
Harricharan, his intuitive consultations, lectures, books, tapes,
etc., please e-mail- 75523,2460