Leadership styles and leadership qualities development using NLP
I’m constantly amazed at how quickly people transform from mere managers to confident leaders when given the right tools. I once again witnessed this recently at one of my Leadership styles and leadership qualities development workshops ‘Unlock the Leadership Code Within’. There is a much hype around development of leadership qualities these days, and there is a buzz around improving Leadership styles and leadership qualities development using NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). I managed to attend a similar leadership development program where focus was to improve Leadership styles and leadership qualities development using NLP. This was primarily attended by Senior Managers, Directors, and CXO level participants, who were being sent by their Managing Director to experience the power of NLP in development of Leadership qualities.
By understanding and effectively developing their abilities, they were able to influence, motivate and enable others to contribute to collective success of their respective teams. Within days of completing the workshop, ‘leaders’ and other team members with these leaders (who attended the program) were co-creating significant value with ease and joy, and providing a very significant taking point among leaders/training community with respect to improving Leadership styles and leadership qualities development using NLP.
I know I’m gushing! But, if you have an employer or are one yourself, you know just how challenging it can be to create a culture of motivation and inspiration. Today, leadership effectiveness is a serious problem. Not just in the corporate space, but also in educational institutions, retail trade, hospitals etc. Leadership development programs, which cost organisations millions in expenditure, often lack actual desired behaviour to justify the spending on these programs. Hence, over the period of years and as a result of experimentation there is lot of merit in use of NLP to improve Leadership styles and leadership qualities development using NLP, which has emerged as a very powerful way to developing leadership qualities, because of its lasting nature of enabling leaders to notice their behavior patterns, and changing them by being more aware of their behaviors.
How is an NLP Leadership Development Workshop more effective and different from standard training programs? How Leadership styles and leadership qualities development using NLP a game changer for the organization?
- Immediately apply the tools at work: How many times have you attended training programs only to come back and do the same thing the same way? NLP starts and ends with this simple question, “What can I do about this situation now, quickly and easily?” The tools and processes of NLP that are introduced are quick to grasp and easy to implement. And the results are fast, joyful and long-term. Even something as simple as knowing the right question to ask can dramatically alter challenging tasks for greater success.
- Grow and transform during the workshop: Most training programs measure themselves by how many concepts have been presented to participants. When I conduct an NLP leadership development workshop, my measure of success is how much the participants have grown and transformed. Throughout the workshop, I’m constantly using Brain Training processes. The focus is on inducing confidence, motivation, action-orientation and focus.
- Experiential learning: NLP development workshops are not about concepts. They’re about excellence. And excellence comes not from being glued to one’s seat, but from doing. When I say “doing”, I don’t mean team building games that have nothing to do with being a leader in the everyday workspace. Techniques and language patterns are embedded deep in the subconscious by experimentation and exploration. It becomes a part of how you work, catapulting you to higher results.
So, what makes NLP-trained leaders (who have attended NLP program where improving Leadership styles and leadership qualities development using NLP was the focus area) more effective and successful?
- Effective Communicators: The NLP Meta Model helps leaders improve their effectiveness in communication. It helps clarify what has been left out, generalized or distorted during meetings, conversations and analyses. The NLP Leadership Development programs facilitate leaders in specifying thinking and outcomes, reframing beliefs, and setting sensory-specific goals. This makes expectations and targets clear and achievable. And strong leaders are able to hold people accountable as well as motivated.
- Easily get into resourceful states: The actual state someone is in when setting a goal or choosing a course of action is extremely important. A number of techniques in NLP aim to enhance “states” by anchoring resourceful states associated with personal experience or model states by emulating role models, and become a bold speaker. Successful leaders are confident and focused. In this state, they are able to determine a definite purpose and plan, and boldly set the direction for the team. They easily access resourceful states so they take responsibility for the entire team and act decisively, without being influenced by emotion.
- Quickly generate productive behaviours: As a leader, you need to be able to generate lots of different behaviours to find out what responses you get. NLP Leadership Development workshops develop the sensory experience of leaders to notice how to generate productive responses from different people. Influential leaders are exceptionally likeable by all and make the people under them better. They build trust early and often, stimulating self-directed action from their followers.
- Inculcate a success mindset: Many leaders underestimate the challenge of developing a “leadership success mindset”. They confuse a mindset with the simplistic positive thinking movement. Leadership success is a matter of design. NLP facilitates re-wiring the subconscious mind through Belief re-programming and altering Strategies. When both, the leader and followers hold a positive self-image, they are able to align their individual goals with organisational goals. This develops ownership and a confident attitude to achieve results beyond expectations.
- Accelerated Learning: Building a learning and leadership culture is the bedrock of any successful organisation. Accelerated learning strategies enhance leaders’ innovation, intrapreneurial and creative skills. With today’s disruptive pace of change, lean structures and greater global complexity, effective leaders consistently engage their team members in creative approaches to the market. Through accelerated learning strategies, leaders have the right tools to absorb new-age concepts and jump to the next level.
Today’s most successful leaders didn’t get that way by accident. They learned and applied the habits of great leadership. More than their focus on defining a vision, mission and plan, they zero in on 3 essentials: value to the customer, their followers (or employees), and themselves. Outstanding leaders cause their passions and enthusiasm to set off a charge in the organisation.
When the right skills are targeted, it is a joy to watch individuals blossom into strong and competent leaders. The impact of leadership development programs stretches beyond the participants to their team members, customers and ultimately to organisational productivity, and it will be right to say this makes NLP a unique and Powerful course. Great leaders lead to great organisations!
