NLP (PNL in Spanish), neuro-linguistic programming, is an educational method that will help us understand ourselves and understand others. In short, to communicate better.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming came to public attention in 1975 around the University of California, Santa Cruz, with the appearance of the book The Structure of Magic, published by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. These authors managed to make explicit the syntax of how people avoid change and how to help them change.
So NLP has a lot to offer people who want to know themselves better, analyse their surroundings better, communicate more efficiently and learn from others, and ultimately experience changes that help them improve in their personal and professional lives.
NLP for leaders: what will it give us?
- A way of understanding ourselves and understanding others
- Tools to detect how we do well what we do well, and to replicate it at any time.
- Excellent strategies for communicating with ourselves and with others
- The ability to understand what surrounds us and, above all, the ability to react to new challenges.
- Ease in making the right decisions.
- Turning problems into opportunities
- Starting from the premise of trust in oneself and in others, and working from the potential we all carry within us.
NLP and empowerment
That fancy word empowerment means being an enabling leader, one who gives their people autonomy and allows the power they carry within to come to the surface. We all come equipped as standard with the resources we need to bring about change and achieve the goals we set ourselves.
The leader or manager who acts on the belief that we all already have the resources we need:
- Knows how to delegate and empower the people in their charge
- Makes a point of continuously monitoring how the potential of their team members is developing.
- Moves from the paradigm of managing through control to managing through trust
- Is not afraid of helping their collaborators develop, nor of them taking their job
- Believes in people and is honest and consistent with this management model, leading by example.
Rapport, beyond empathy
Rapport is the essence of excellent communication, since it covers both the verbal and the non-verbal to get a better picture of reality. NLP will therefore help us to be better communicators.
A leader who builds good relationships and understanding with clients, team and colleagues:
- Makes it easy for correct, truthful information, not distorted by fear, to flow.
- Trains in every channel of communication, both verbal and non-verbal, so as not to miss any information.
- Is tolerant and flexible
- Is very well informed
- Passes their habits on to their team, creating an atmosphere of consensus and learning
- Knows how to disagree respectfully
Well, I’ve almost summarised the whole book for you, and that’s not the point. In my case, I discovered NLP and signed up for an intensive weekend course a few years ago, and I think I have applied it in my day-to-day work leading teams, improving my relationships with others and trying to communicate better. That’s why I encourage you to start with this simple book, which will awaken your interest in getting to know yourself better and seeking change.
I am extremely lucky to know the author, who gave me a copy a month ago, and I read it almost in one sitting.
Who is Josepe García?
José Pedro García is one of the great experts in motivation. He is a speaker, businessman, trainer and coach with extensive experience in in-company training at both large companies and SMEs.
He currently runs the Excellence Research Institute, the Escuela de Liderazgo Personal (School of Personal Leadership), and is Director of
Vivirdelcoaching.com
Josepe Garcia, expert in motivation and coaching.
He never stops: he is an international speaker in the USA, Mexico, France, Colombia, Peru… A member of Top Ten Coaching Spain. NLP Trainer, CTI Co-Active Coach, professional coach certified by Asesco, and a member of ICF and AECOP.
Areas of expertise: Empowerment, NLP for leaders, Self-motivation, Executive
Coaching, Team Building, Organisational change.
His publications: Buen Camino: el saludo que lo cambió todo en ruta a Santiago (“Buen Camino: the greeting that changed everything on the way to Santiago”); PNL para líderes (NLP for Leaders), now hard to find; and Cómo Vivir del Coaching (How to Make a Living from Coaching).
His personal blog, where you can keep learning from this great master: http://josepegarcia.blogspot.com.es/
Enjoy NLP and become a better leader!
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