Change Your Business with NLP: Powerful Tools to Improve Your Organisation's Performance and Get Results

2

Change Your

Business With NLP Powerful Tools to Improve Your Organisation’s Performance and Get Results

Lindsey Agness Transform the way your business works. Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques can be applied to all business challenges. As a leader or manager in either the public or private sectors, whatever your industry or size o organisation, you can use NLP to improve your business by changing the mindsets o everyone you work with. When tailored or practical business application, NLP can help you to identiy and deliver efciencies, hold onto clients in the midst o increasing competition, improve morale and increase organisational perormance and results.

Change Your Business With NLP is the frst genuinely practical guide or managers, showing how to use NLP techniques to overcome specifc business problems. You will learn how to: • • • • • • •

Improveyou Improveyourre rresults sultsasa asaleader leader Buildanexc Buildanexceptiona eptionalteam lteam Managechang Managechangemor emoreef eeffectiv fectively ely Changeyour Changeyourorga organisati nisation’ on’scult sculture ure Createmoreeffectiveclientandcustomerrelationships Createmoreeffective clientandcustomerrelationships Transformyo ransformyourpr urpresenta esentations tionskills kills Increasetheoverallperformanceofyourbusiness

BestsellingauthorLindseyAgness,aninternationalchangemanagementconsultantandcertied trainer o NLP, NLP, uses step-by-step techniques and a broad range o case studies to show you that NLP can deliver measurable results in business.

“In 1997 Lindsey att ended my NLP Practitioner Certi cation, 13 years later she i s a member of my NLP Master Trainer Trainer Programme. The highest level of  certication in the eld! This stands testimony to her relentless development of herself. I believe NLP is one of the absolute best tools for creating business success available today. today. And Change Your Your Business With NLP is one of the best books to give you the tools to make it really happen for you.” David Shephard, Certied Master Trainer of NLP, Founder Founder of The Performance Partnership and President of The American Board of NLP.

3

Please eel ree to post this Change Your Business with NLP sampler on your blog or website, or email emai l it to anyone you think would enjoy it! ExtractedfromChangeYourBusinessWithNLPpublishedin2010byCapstonePublishingLimited (aWileyCompany),TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ.UK. Phone+44(0)1243779777 Copyright©2010LindseyAgness  All Rights Reserved. No part o this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any orm or by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,scanningorotherwise,exceptunderthetermsoftheCopyright,Designs andPatentsAct1988orunderthetermsofalicenceissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgency,90TottenhamCourtRoad,London, W1T4LP,UK,withoutthepermissioninwritingofthePublisher.RequeststothePublishershouldbeaddressedtothePermissions Department,JohnWiley&SonsLtd,TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ,England, or emailed to [email protected]. [email protected].

4

 About Lindsey Agness

Table of Contents Introduction – Why is NLP important to business? ransformingLe gLeaders aderswith withNLP NLP Part One: Transformin Building Strategies for Success Developing a Mindset for Success Role Modelling for Success

LindseyAgnessisheadofTheChangeCorporation www.thechangecorporation.com, www.thechangecorporation.com, www.lindseyagness. www.lindseyagness. com, running courses and seminars or companies andindividuals.Beforesettinguphercompanyshe was a corporate change management consultant at one o the top global frms – meaning she can bridge both the business and personal development market. SheisoneoftherstfemaleNLPmastersandisa warm and compelling speaker who has recently at the  VitalityShow,Fabat50ShowandSuccessUniversity  VitalityShow,Fabat50ShowandSuccessUniversity. . LindseywasaFinalistintheEntrepreneuroftheYear LindseywasaFinalistintheEntrepreneuroftheY ear  Awardin2007&2008.

ransformingT gTeams eamswith withNLP NLP Part Two: Transformin Constructing High Performing Teams Encouraging Creativity Having Courageous Conversations Part Three:TransformingOrganizationswithNLP Managing Change Changing the Rules of the Game Developing Global Organizations

ransformingClientRelationshipswithNLP NLP Part Four: TransformingClientRelationshipswith Inuencing with Integrity Exceeding expectations

 Are you Ready? 

5

 Introduction: Why is NLP important for business?  Themostimportantquestionyoushouldaskyourselfasyouconsiderreadingthisbookis‘AmIgettingthe resultsthatIwantinbusiness?’Asyouconsiderthatquestion,noticewhatcomesintoyourmind. Forexample,doyouwanttoimproveyourownresultsasaleader,buildanexceptionalteam,changethe rulesofthegameorcultureofyourorganisationortransformyourcustomerrelationships?Maybeyouwould benetfromdevelopingyourskillsinalloftheseareas.Ifyoufoundyourselfanswering‘yes’toanyofthese questionsthenIguaranteethatyouwillgetimmensevaluefromthisbook. Inatoughmarket,Neuro-LinguisticProgramming(NLP)techniquescanbeappliedtothechallengesthat today’sleadersface–identifyinganddeliveringefciencies,holdingontoclientsinthemidstofincreased competition, improvting morale and increasing organisational perormance. NLP changes mindsets, ocusing and motivating you into a positive state o sel-belie, thereby empowering you to ace your challenges headon and transorming the business you are in. TheessentialaimofthisbookistointroduceyoutospecicNLPtoolsandtechniquesinthecontextofreal businessissuesandtoshowyouhowtoapplythemthroughaseriesofpragmaticexercises,casestudies andevaluations.IwilldemonstratethroughtheevidencebaseofthecasestudiesthatNLPdoesindeed deliver measurable results to business.

6

Who is this book for?  Myowneldofresearchandapplicationis‘PeopleDevelopment’inbusiness.Primarily,therefore, this book is or: • Middletoseniorleaders Middletoseniorleadersinbusines inbusiness(includin s(includingthosew gthosewhoaspire hoaspiretothesepo tothesepositions) sitions)whohav whohavethe ethe authorityandinuen authorityandinuencetomakech cetomakechangesus angesusingNLP ingNLPtoolsand toolsandtechniques techniquesandwho andwhowanttom wanttomakea akea measurable dierence to their organisations • PeopledevelopmentorH PeopledevelopmentorHRprofes Rprofessionalsi sionalsincludingco ncludingconsultan nsultants,trainers ts,trainersandcoache andcoacheswhow swhowantan antan understanding o how to use NLP to create improved results or their clients • NLPpractitioners(by NLPpractitioners(bypractitioner practitionersImeanan sImeananyonequal yonequaliedinNLP iedinNLP)whowa )whowantideasan ntideasand d recommendations about how they can apply the tools they have learned in business • Potentialbuyersof PotentialbuyersofNLPwh NLPwhowishto owishtoundersta understandmoreab ndmoreaboutitsappl outitsapplicationande icationandevidencebef videncebeforethey orethey invest time and money in NLP-based services.

7

Thisbookisdesignedtodeliverbetterresultsinanytypeofbusinessfromglobalcorporationtopublicsector organisation.Ifyouworkinthepublicorcharitablesectorsyoumayndthelabelof‘business’unfamiliar.The denitionIdiscoveredfromWikipediadescribedabusinessasa:

‘legally recognised organisation designed to provide goods and/or services to customers. Most are privately owned and formed to earn pro t that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business itself. Businesses canalso include cooperative enterprises, not-for-prot or be state-owned’

SowhenIusetheterm‘business’Iuseitinitswidestsense.IknowfrompersonalexperiencethatNLPtools and techniques work equally well across this whole spectrum o organisations. Thebookisdesignedasajourneyofdiscoverywhereyou,thereader,willlearnthroughpracticalapplication oftheexercises.ForyoutogetmaximumvaluefromtheexperienceIurgeyoutoapplyeachexercisetoyour own personal situation, whether you are already a leader, an aspiring leader, a people development specialist, NLP practitioner or potential buyer o NLP services.

8

Where are you and your business now?   Anychangeprocessshouldstartwithreectiononwhereyouarenow.It’sratherlikeputtingastakeinthe groundwhichyoucometoattheendofthejourneytodiscoverhowfaryouhavetravelled.Ilearnedthis whenIworkedasachangemanagementconsultantforoneofthetopglobalconsultingrms.Iwastaught toalwaysstartaprojectwiththeendinmind.Itwasimportanttoworkwithourcustomerstodenethe outcomesandassociatedbusinessbenetstheywouldgainfromworkingontheprojectwithus.They understandably wanted measurable results rom our work and so it became essential to set a baseline o wheretheywereatthestartoftheprojecttomakeiteasiertomeasuretheirsuccessattheend.Iviewthis bookasachangeproject,inthatitisdesignedtotransformyouandyourbusiness.Therefore,it’simportant toknowwhereyouareatthestartofthisjourney.Withthatinmind,Iinviteyoutocompletethefollowing quizofdiscovery.Thequizfollowsthestructureofthebookandisrelativelylight-heartedsopleasebe honest with your answers.

9

 Exercise 1: The Business Discovery Q  uiz Part I: Transforming Leaders with NLP 1. Do you have compelling goals for your future?

a. Absolutely b.Yes, b.Yes,and andyou you’re ’renot nottha thatco tcommitt mmittedto edtothe them m c.No,y c.No,youj oujust ustgo gowith withthe theow ow 2. When something isn’t working do you:

a.Dowh a.Dowhatev ateverit erittak takest estoso osortit rtitout out b.Keepy b.Keepyour ourng ngers erscro crossed ssedtha thatit titwill willgoa goaway way c.Keepy c.Keepyour ourhead headdow downan nandbla dblameo meother thers s 3. When you get feedback about your leadership skills do your staff say:

a.Theya a.Theyaret retotal otallyi lyinspi nspired redbyw byworki orkingw ngwith ithyou you b.Theypointoutanum b.Theypointoutanumberofarea berofareaswher swhereyoucou eyoucouldimprove ldimprove c.Theyf c.Theyfeell eellost ostand anddire directio ctionles nless s

10

Part II: Transforming Teams with NLP 4. What makes a world-class team?

a.Sh a.Shar ared edvis vision ionan andv dvalu alues es b.Foc b.Focus uson onth thec ecus ustom tomer er c.Makin c.Makingth gthenu enumbers mbersno nomatt matterw erwhat hat 5. How do you encourage creativity in your team?

a.Bysettingspecict a.Bysettingspecictimeasideas imeasideasateamtogen ateamtogeneratenew eratenewideas ideas b.Bylisteningtoteam b.Bylisteningtoteammemberswh memberswhentheyc entheycomeupwit omeupwithideas hideas c. We are fghting too many fres each day to be creative 6. When was the last time you had a courageous conversation with a team member?

a.In a.Inth thel elast astmo mont nth h b.In b.Inth thel elast ast6 6mo month nths s c.C c.Can an’t ’tr rem emem embe berr

11

Part III: Transforming Transforming Organisations with NLP 7. What’s most important when starting an organisational change project?

a.Clear a.Clearbus busines inessca scasew sewith ithden denedbe edbene nets ts b.Su b.Suppo pport rtfo fort rthe hepro projec jectt c.Kee c.Keepin pinge gever veryo yone neha happy ppy 8. How do you successfully implement a culture change?

a.Ch a.Chang anget ethe here rewa ward rdsy syst stem em b.Crank b.Crankup upthe thecomm communi unicatio cations ns c.Letthe‘oldguard’m c.Letthe‘oldguard’managethep anagetheprocesst rocesstokeepthepe okeepthepeace ace 9. What’s the biggest challenge of a remote team?

a. Poor communication b.I b.Inn-g ght htin ing g c.T c.Tim imee-wa wast ster ers s

12

Part IV: Transforming Client Relationships with NLP 10. What’s most important for long-term client relationships?

a.E a.Exc xcel elle lent ntr rap appo port rt b. Goodpr dpro oduc ducts c. Expen pensea eaccou ccoun nt 11. What’s the best tip for a new presenter?

a.J a.Jus ust tbe bet the hems msel elve ves s b.Advis b.Adviseth ethemt emtous ousepo epowerp werpoint ointslid slidess essoth otheyd eydon’ on’tget tgetlos lostt c.Have c.Haveasc ascript riptthey theycan canrea readto dtoens ensure urethe theyco ycover verever everythi ything ng 12. How would your clients describe your business?

a.Con a.Consis sisten tently tlyex excee ceeds dsex expec pectat tation ions s b.Con b.Consi siste stentl ntlym ymeet eetse sexpe xpecta ctatio tions ns c.Con c.Consis sisten tently tlyfa fails ilsto tome meet etexp expect ectati ation ons s Now,addupthenumberofAs,BsandCsyouhavescored,andndoutwhatyourchoices suggest about you.

13

Mostly As.Congratulations!Youmadesomeexcellentchoicesthatdemonstratethatyou and your business are already moving in the direction o the Brilliant Zone.I’llshowyouhow you can both become world class.

Mostly Bs. Notbadbutyouandyourbusinessarebecomingcomplacentandthere’s adangeryou’llgetstuckinthe Grey Zone.It’stimetotakeactionandI’llhelpyoudevelop some ideas to do just that.

Mostly Cs.

Goodjobyoupickedupthisbookasyouarelikeashipwithoutarudder–

directionless and making poor choices which will prevent you rom steering a more successul course.Getreadyforaroughrideasyoufaceuptothechangesyouneedtomaketomove out o the  Awful Zone.I’llshowyouhow.

14

What is NLP?  ForthoseofyouwhoarewonderingwhatNLPisallabout,now’syourchancetondoutmore andtounderstandwhyI’vechosenitasthetechnologyofchangeusedinthisbook. NLP,orNeuro-LinguisticProgramming,hasprovedachallengetodeneneatly.Toseyand Mathisondescribeitas‘akindofreverseengineering,appliedtohumancapabilities’. That’sbecauseintheearly1970s,alinguist,JohnGrinder,andamathematician,Richard Bandler,studiedindividualswhowereexcellentcommunicatorsandtechniciansofchange. Theystartedbyaskingaquestion:‘Whatmakesthedifferencebetweenworld-classand mediocreperformance?’Theyobservedmanyworld-classperformers,includingfamous psychotherapists, and discovered the belies, mindset and strategies which delivered their success.Theyexploredbothpersonalandprofessionalchangeworktodiscovertoolsand techniques that deliver ast and sustainable results.

15

Asaresult,theyformalisedtheirchangetechniquesunderthename‘Neuro-Linguistic Programming’,knownasNLP,tosymbolisetherelationshipbetweenthebrain,languageand thebodyandtheresultsthatcanbeachieved.ToseyandMathisonmadethepointthat:

‘NLP does not invent these patterns; it identies them, strips them down to their essentials, sometimes rening and re-packaging them and makes them available for others to learn . . . it is a way of coding and reproducing excellence that enables you to consistently achieve the results that you want.’

NLPisveryeclecticinthatitdrawsfrommanydiverseeldsofpractice.Inhisbook,Whispering intheWind,GrinderdescribedNLPashaving:

‘. . . spread like wild- re throughout the world . . . It [NLP] works across cultures, generations, age groups and  elds of application. There are now hundreds of thousands of people in the world whose lives have been profoundly and positively impacted by the application of this patterning called NLP.’

16

Whyhasitbeensosuccessful?Unlikeotherapproachesthattellyouwhatyouneedtodo, NLPisahowtotechnology.Ittellsandshowsyouhowtobetheleaderyouwanttobe,have the business success you want to have and spend your time doing the things you really want todo.Formostpeoplethingshappenandtheyreactunconsciouslyoutoftheirawareness. NLPoffersabetterway.Itgivesyouthetoolstoreactdifferentlybychoice,tobemoreaware o your thoughts, eelings and behaviour. You are then ready to take responsibility or your results in all areas o your lie, not only your business lie. Let’slookateachelementofNLPinturnandI’llexplainwhatit’sallabout.

 Neuro Neuro is all about what we think – or our thoughts. Neuromeans‘whatgoesoninsideourheads’.Wehaveover60,000thoughtsaday.These orm our internal world o pictures, sounds and eelings.

17

Itistheseconversations,dialoguesorargumentswehavewithourselvesinourthinking processthatdrivehowwefeel,ourmoodandultimatelyhowwerespondtoevents.InNLP terms these are called our internal representations.Forexample,ifyouhaveanimportant meeting with your boss coming up and you think about it going badly, this in turn is likely to makeyoufeelbad.Guesswhat?Withthosecircumstances,you’relikelytocreateexactlywhat youarethinkingaboutinsideyourhead.Ontheotherhand,youcanfocusonthemeeting goingwellandfeelingveryexcitedaboutit.Guesswhat?You’remuchmorelikelytocreateit goingwellforyourself.Tobeclearabouttheimportanceofthis,yourthoughtsandtheway you eel will impact directly on the success o the meeting. ThecriticalpointtorealiseisthatwecancontrolourthoughtsandIwillshowyouhow.

 Linguistic Linguistic is all about what we say, both verbally and nonverbally. Language determines how wecommunicatewithotherpeopleandourselves.Itishowwelabelourexperiencesand much more. Empowering language generates empowered behaviour. Likewise, negative language limits our choices.

18

Itisestimatedthat93%ofcommunicationisnon-verbal.Thismeanshowyousaywhat you say (intonation, volume, speed, etc.) carries fve times more inormation than the words spoken.Andhowyouuseyourbody(gestures,facialexpressions,posture)isevenmore inuential.Asourthoughtsandfeelingsliterally‘leak’outofusthroughourbodies,consider whatyourssayaboutyou?Forexample,whenyouaregettingreadyforanimportantmeeting, areyoufocusedongettingtheresultyouwantordoyouletyouranxietiesgetthebetterof you?Doesyourphysiologyinthatsituationportraynervousnessandconcernorsomeonewho hascondenceandknowswhattheywant?

 Programming Programming is all about what we do. Weareallrunningprogrammesinourminds,allofthetime.Theseprogrammesdrivetheway webehave,ourperformanceand,ultimately,ourresults.Forexample,inyourcareer,maybe younoticethesamechallengeskeepshowingup?Perhapsyoualwaysencounteradifcult bossormaybeyouexperienceconictineveryteamthatyoumanage?Inthesesituations, the only common denominator is you!Theseprogrammesrunatanunconsciouslevelinthe nervous system which is why they are difcult to change.

19

NLPhelpstoidentifythesenegativeprogrammesandtochangethemsotheseexperiencesno longershowupinyourlife.Asyouthinkaboutitnow,doyouhaveanyscenarioslikethis?To bring it altogether, NLP symbolises the relationship between the brain, language and the body. Itdescribeshowwhatwesay,thinkanddointerplayandaffectourbodyandourbehaviour andourresults.AsSueKnightexplainsinherbook, NLP at Work ,‘It’sthedifferencethat ,‘It’sthedifferencethat makesthedifferenceinbusiness’.

 How NLP is used in this book WhenIrstdiscoveredNLPin1997,Iexperienceditasthemostresults-focusedtechnology Ihadevercomeacross(andI’dcomeacrossafewhavingbeenaconsultantformanyyears!). NLPisallaboutconsistentlong-termresultsthatcanbeachievedfast.Inthisbookyouwill learn how to use NLP to: •Developa‘winningstateofmind’ •Daretobedifferent! •Improveyourleadershipskillstoinspireandmotivateothers

20

•Buildahighperformingteam •Motivateandengagewithstaff •Createinnovativesolutionstochallenges •Havecourageousconversations •Managebenets-drivenchangeprogrammes •Understandthe‘rulesofthegame’tochangeculture •Utiliseworld-classcommunicationskills •Quicklybuildstrongrapportandsolidbusinessrelationships •Learnhowtodifferentiateyourselfwithyourclients •Becomearelaxedandexcellentpresenter •Consistentlyexceedexpectations WhatdoesNLPmeanforyourbusiness?Positiveresultswillbeimmediatelyrecognised through increased motivation, confdence and skills. Longer-term benefts include elevated perormance and productivity, higher morale and motivation, reduced turnover, lower absenteeism and a higher return on investment.

21

What’s What’s different about this book?  WhenIwasresearchingNLPbooksforbusiness,Imadeaninterestingdiscovery.There seemedtobeveryfew–ifany–‘howto’booksthatshowedthereaderhowspecicallyto utiliseNLPtoolsandtechniquesinapragmaticwayinbusiness.Manyofthebooksseemed to over-complicate the subject, making it inaccessible to most business people coming to NLP or the f rst time. Also, many started rom the perspective o the NLP techniques, or example‘anchoringorrapporttechniques’,withoutclearlyshowinghowthesecouldbeused in dierent business situations. ThisbookisdifferentbecauseitturnsthetraditionalNLPbusinessbookonitsheadandasks howNLPcanhelpsolvebusinesschallengesintoday’senvironment.Forexample,itshows how to use NLP tools and techniques to build a highperorming team and develop long-term customerrelationships.ItalsooffersarangeofcasestudiesthatdemonstratehowNLPhas beenusedandthemeasurablebenetsofdoingso.Finally,therearecloseto50pragmatic exercisesrunningasacommonthemethroughoutthebook.Theyprovideyouwiththe opportunitytopractiseyournewskillsasyoulearnaboutthesubjectmatter.It’sbeenproven thatknowledgealonedoesnoteasilyembedinthenervoussystemtochangebehaviour.By practising these techniques you integrate the learning or yoursel and prove to yoursel that you can do it, thereby creating new belies about your own competency levels.

22

Theexercisesareanessentialcomponentofthisbook.Iencourageyoutocompletethemas fullyaspossibleastheywillliterallytakeyourperformancetothenextlevel.Youcancomplete them in this book or, i you preer, copy them into a personal journal. Indthattherearethreewaysthatpeoplelearn.Firstly,youmayndyourselfenjoyingthe learningandusingtheexercisestomakenewdiscoveriesaboutyourself.Yourelishevery opportunitytoimproveyourselfandyourbusiness.That’sthebestwaytoexperiencethis process.Secondly,youmayfeelsomeresistancetowhatyouarelearningasitchallenges the way you have always gone about things. When you eel resistance you know that you are onthevergeoflearningsomethingimportant.It’sevenmoreimportantinthesemomentsto stickwiththeprocessandtheexercisesandnotskipontothenextsection.Itwillbeinoneof thesespecicmomentsthatyoudiscoverthemostimportantmessageforyourself.Thirdly, youmayevenfeelsomepainwhenyourealisehow‘stuck’youmayhavebecomeinthe‘old’ methodsyouhavebeenusingatworkandwithyourself.Inthesemoments,it’smostimportant ofalltokeepgoing.Thesearethe‘momentsoftruth’foryou,momentswhenyoucanmakea decisionaboutchangingthewayyoudothingspermanently.Iamheretoassistyouthrough these moments, to help you understand the new choices you have been given and how best to use them.

23

Who am I?  IhavebeenusingNLPinmycorporateworksincethelate1990s.Iqualiedasatrainerof NLPin2000andworkedasachangemanagementconsultantwithaglobalconsultinghouse between1994and2005.PriortothatIworkedasaseniormanagerinlocalgovernment.In 2005,Isetupmyownbusiness,TheChangeCorporation,whichfocusesontransformational changetohelpbothindividualsandbusinessesachievetheirfullpotential.Thefocusison three key areas: •Corporate:work •Corporate:workingwith ingwithcompaniest companiestodeveloplea odevelopleadersandto dersandtodeliverbene deliverbenetsfrom tsfromlarge- large- scale change programmes •Public:runningNLPprogrammestoassistindividualscreatepermanentchangeintheirlives •Coaching:offeringexecutiveandBreakThroughcoachingsessionstoachievesustainable results in others. TheChangeCorporationrecentlyreachedthenalsinthe‘KentNewBusinessoftheYear  Award’andIwasanalisttwicefor‘EntrepreneuroftheYearAward’.Believingthatit’s nevertoolatetodevelopmyself,Istartedtowriteinmymid-40sandmyrstbook, Change Your Life with NLP,wasinthetop20ofallbest-sellingself-helpbooksintheUKin2009 NLP ,wasinthetop20ofallbest-sellingself-helpbooksintheUKin2009 ( The The Bookseller, 2009 ).

24

ItellyouthisasIbelieveIamwellqualiedtoworkwithyouonthesubjectofbusiness change.IhaveusedNLPexplicitlywithmycorporateclientssincethelate1990s.Because ofmybackgroundasaconsultantandentrepreneur,I’mfortunateenoughtohaveworkedin manylargebusinesses,inboththeprivateandpublicsectors.I’velearnedwhatmakesthe differenceandInowwanttosharethatwithyou. Thisbookcontainsarangeofcasestudies,showinghowNLPcanbeusedatwork.Thecase studies drill down into specifc detail about how it can be used in business and the types o measurablebenetsthatcanbeachieved.OneofthecriticismsoftenmadeofNLPthatitis over-soldandunder-tested.ThisbookprovidesimportantevidencetothechallengersofNLP.

 How this book works I’veputtogetherafour-partmodelforthisbookthatfocusesonthekeyareasforchangein today’sclimate.Inthistoughmarket,eachofthefourpartsisfullofNLPtechniquesthatcan be applied to the challenges that you ace today – leading with enthusiasm, increasing team perormance, changing culture, and holding on to clients in the ace o ferce competition.

25

The four–part model  Thisbooklooksthroughthelensateachof thesefourthemesandthenasks,‘Howcan NLP be used to achieve world-class success ineach?’It’saverypragmaticapproach that builds rom the individual as a leader, to managing high-perorming teams, to running an organisation and f nishes with delivering world-class customer service. You can pickandmixwhatyouneedforyourown personal development or choose to work step by step through all the our stages o success.

26

Use of NLP  NLPwasoncedenedtomeasanAttitudeofMind,aMethodology,andaseriesof Techniques.InthisbookI’veselected33coreelementsfromNLPandutilisedthemacrossthe chapters.SomeofthemmightbedescribedasanAttitudeofMind,someaMethodologyand othersTechniques.I’mnotgoingtogethunguponwhichelementtsintowhichcategory. Whatisimportantisthat,tomaximiseyourlearning,I’veincludedasmanycoreelementsof NLPasIcan.I’vedrawntheseelementsfromboththePractitionerandMasterPractitioner curriculumsoinmanywaysthisbookgivesyouanexcellentinsightintothemethodology, toolsandtechniquesthatyouwouldstudyifyouweretotaketheNLPPractitionerandMaster PractitionerCertications. IshowinAppendix1ontheNLPgridasummaryofalltheNLPelementsusedinthisbook andwheretheyfeature.It’simportanttorealisethattheseelementsarenotexclusivetothe subjectswheretheyhavebeenused.Forexample,althoughI’vefeatured‘GoalSetting’in Chapter1‘StrategiesforSuccess’,theadviceandtechniquescouldalsobeappliedina numberofchapterssuchasChapter4,‘ConstructingHighperformingTeams’,andsoon. I’vemadeachoicetofeatureeachelementonlyoncetoavoidduplicationandhavegiven suggestions about where else you might utilise that new area o knowledge and skills.

27

 Let’s get started  NowI’veexplainedthebackgroundbehindthebookandwhatitwilldo,it’stimeforyouto taketherststeponyourjourney.Imagineturningtheclockforwardtwoyears.Youarea successfulleaderinyourbusiness.Whatdoyouseeyourselfwearing?Whatdoyouhear yourselfsaying?And,mostimportantly,whatdoesitfeelliketobethatsuccessful?Others ask to model you to discover how it is possible to get the results that you do. Your sta are creative, open and coach each other to achieve world-class results. And in your industry your teams are recognised as the ones to emulate and have won numerous awards. Your organisation culture is aligned to your business strategy and supports the delivery o worldclassresults.Finally,yourcustomerspraiseyouforcontinuallyexceedingtheirexpectationsin the quality o service that you provide and your client churn rate is the lowest in the industry. Whatifthatwasadescriptionofyouandyourbusiness? Ihaveaquestionforyou: ‘Areyoupreparedtostepuptowhatyoureallycanachieveinyourbusiness?Tobetheleader youdeservetobewhateverittakes?’ Ifso,readon...

is available from all good bookshops and online at