Intuition. Practical-minded, analytical folks may view it as a not-fully trustable attribute. Or certainly not something to employ as a key business tool. (Maybe a closeted, whispered one to consider amid lots of louder metrics.) Sure, lots of individuals talk about trusting their gut, but doing so is utilized AFTER looking at other tangible, visible elements. Numbers don’t add up? Business model lacking? Salesman didn’t look the part?…In analyzing all that, a nudge from the gut—intuition—might kick the deal off the table, but it was already teetering on the edge. Intuition is too often FULLY employed only after critiquing all the other components.

The Merriam-Webster www.merriam-webster.com definition of intuition is “quick and ready insight; immediate apprehension or cognition; the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.” It’s the “without evident rational thought and inference” that stumps us. No one wants to be told they’re without rational thought, right? So we take this cool, internal mechanism—”quick and ready insight”—that God seems to have set us up with naturally…and set it aside. We first use the other more impressive gadgets in our toolbox.

Think about your personal and professional experiences. You remember examples where your intuition fluttered initially, don’t you? When you should have said no instantaneously instead of exerting effort in that relationship or business deal that went nowhere (and took you with it). Often we look back, realizing that we knew from the beginning we should have walked away. Call it a red flag, hunch, intuit, or suspicion, we nod retrospectively and say, Yep, I knew it all along.

And you did know! I did too. So why do we so often ignore such an awesome built-in, automatic ability?

Because we want desperately to believe what someone is telling us. Or we can’t explain it rationally or justify listening upfront. Case in point: Recently I had a completely inexplicable bad vibe to a potential client’s voice over the phone. A voice, people. Even though our conversation was pleasant and positive. Crazy, right? Especially in this economy, you don’t turn down work over a lack of rapport with a voice! Hmmph! If I had listened to my intuition, I would have been spared several hours of prep, research, and meeting time and another few days of worry over getting paid.

You and I do our intuition (and ourselves) a huge injustice when we ignore that internal voice. We hear it—whispering, warning, alerting us that something is not quite right. In reality, intuition is a powerful tool (when you use it). It saves you time, heartache, and sometimes prevents bodily harm in addition to emotional or financial turmoil that can accompany trudging past what your innards are trying so hard to get you to notice.

Start paying attention to your intuition. Don’t drown it out and don’t ignore it. Listen to it. Engage it. Go ahead and heed it. When I’ve listened to mine, I have never regretted it. When I’ve barreled past it, reprimanding its lack of sensibility or practicality, or that the opportunity looks so good on paper…well, it isn’t too long before I’m wishing I could do a “command Z” on my Mac and bring about a quick undo.

This week, practice honing—and honoring—your intuition. If you’re truly bold (or wise, depending on your outlook), involve it in all your decisions. Ask it questions. That’s the best thing about intuition: It loves to be of service. Let it.