But willing our way into solutions isn’t always the best approach. Sometimes it pays to step away from a problem for awhile and let the subconscious work it through. Sometimes a non-attached yet focused concentration gets superior results.

Bob Barancik uses an innovative poetry-writing exercise to help people develop their creative intuition and use it in collaboration with others as an effective business tool.

We do this using haiku—a traditional form of Japanese poetry that is both simple to learn and highly structured. Haiku has been written for centuries by millions of adults and students in Japan—few of them professional poets.

The value of “Haiku talks Business” is that it reduces many of the subtle but essential skills of work life down to their basic elements where they can be seen and understood more easily. This exercise nurtures and encourages metaphorical thinking, focused problem solving, and personal expression—and connects them to the tasks of daily life.

By creatively writing about their most immediate experiences—using both the analytic and intuitive aspects of their brain—participants begin opening their minds to new ideas, different perspectives, and a multitude of options. Haiku often contains a switch in viewpoint, leaving the reader—and the writer—to see things in a different light than before. And when you get stuck in a rut—that can be a helpful tool!