I look back on the phases of my life and notice that my earlier years were tough. I didn’t know who I was neither did I know how to make good decisions. Falling and picking myself up so many times over, I sharpened intuition without realizing it.
 
I had a feeling that represented intuition. I would call it a grounded feeling where my entire body agreed and said “yes” to a decision I was about to make.
 
Thankfully over time as I moved out of corporate into my own business, I learnt Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) which provided me with the context, process and structure of daily activities I undertook.
 
The main one being how to make a good decision.
 
I realized that as long as I had an identity conflict, the parts within me were pulling in different directions. Understanding how to pull the parts together towards a common goal, I found myself to be more congruent in my decisions.
 
The natural thing to do was to follow the intuitive feeling I speak of above…but only once I achieved congruence where every part of me felt aligned.
 
Today, I teach this process. How do people reach congruence? Eradicating all emotional blocks along the way, learning from the past and moving focus to the future.
 
Generating a powerful future comes easily today. The formula for manifestation is straightforward, filled with structure that produces strong outcomes.
 
It is available in the NLP toolbox. The question is “have you had enough of living life with the future resembling the past?” If yes, then the door is open to learn NLP processes that will have you thinking different.
 
This will definitely produce better results than your past and you will never look back, loving the future you are creating. 

​A typical statement isn’t it?
 
On meeting participants at my Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) trainings, I address exactly this. “Most of you have been sent to this Program and you don’t really want to be here. You have so much to do at your desk and you feel this is a waste of time” I say.
 
Asking for a show of hands, I am deliberately eliciting engagement with my audience. By doing this, I am beginning to gain rapport with them. As a Trainer I step into their world to understand and empathize where they are. My focus is to eventually bring them closer to my day’s objective. 
 
Beyond that conversation which extroverts typically begin, it is my job as the presenter of the day, to engage introverts, the remaining audience, who take a longer time to warm up.
 
These are some power presenting tools that successful trainers hold.
 
As a Transformation Specialist one of my success beliefs is to make the time spent worthwhile, for my audience. Taking trainees deep into the workings of their unconscious mind, I emphasize flexibility and the ability to adapt to change.
 
NLP skills in broadbrush strokes, helps people navigate through life’s changes whether in career, relationships or on the personal front, with resilience and a positive mindset.
 
A situation I encountered many years ago when a gentlemen about to retire, exclaimed the exact title of this article. I could see the difficulty he was having just being there.
 
Approaching him, I promised that he would be thankful by the end of the Program as this was not just another training. He confirmed this at the end and exclaimed he had learnt so much on how to communicate with his son.
 
 I encouraged him to learn more as ongoing learning would lead to mastery especially when advanced NLP techniques were explored. Engaging in continuous self-improvement could only lead to better outcomes in whatever aspect of life.
He promised he would do so. Just one 2-day Program made a huge difference to this man’s life. He saw situations differently and had the tools to rectify / solve problems.
 
Wouldn’t you want to be in his shoes? Don’t wait for life to take you to a dead end. Begin your self-exploration journey today. 

One of our clients recently said that he has observed greater engagement from his team as a result of taking concrete steps to be an effective mentor and coach. 
Indeed, studies show that coaching and mentoring can increase engagement, job satisfaction and morale, teamwork and even bench strength. 
Granted, some of the best mentoring and coaching experiences occur informally over coffee, in corridors, and chance interactions during the course of work. 

However, in order for these interactions to have the potential to be powerful, people in the organisation need to have a coaching and mentoring mindset. This could shift your organisational culture. Imagine people having candid coaching conversations across your organisation. 

To make this happen, ensure your people listen and communicate skilfully in order to be the best colleagues they can be. 
Comprehensive coaching and mentoring programmes can sensitise them to the following:

Identify opportunities for coaching
Learn how to recognise when a person is open to coaching. Here are some cues you can listen for: 

1. I need help with this.
   
2. Could I run some ideas by you?
   
3. I need help thinking things through. 

Help them master the basics of a good coaching conversation
Coaching isn’t about providing solutions. It’s about uncovering answers through inquiry, and exploration. Coaches know that the following are absolutely fundamental to a productive interaction.

1. Listen carefully
   
2. Respond thoughtfully by asking questions to draw out more insights, prompt reflection or to expand the person’s mental model
   
3. Resist imposing your own views and solutions

Ensure that mentoring programmes are structured 
Many organisations encourage mentorship without any structure. This results in interactions that often go nowhere. 

Start building a culture of mentorship by having structured programmes and providing guidance for fruitful mentoring relationships. Make it clear that mentoring topics could include discussions about purpose and skills, situational advice and giving and receiving constructive feedback. 

In the initial stages, you might have to hire experts to structure programmes and guides, but once a culture of mentoring takes hold, your people will need only minimal handholding. 

This post was co-written by Communications Strategist, Consultant and Coach, Bharati Jagdish.

Observing successful individuals climb the corporate ladder in a short space of time requires strong communication skills. In this order, every individual would do themselves justice if they did the following;
 
Understand your Personality Preferences
 
We are born with preferences. As a trained Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI) facilitator, I know the importance of this especially for leaders, when setting up their teams.
 
A senior leadership team without diverse personality types is in grave danger for they see things the same way, rather than attend to the objections of someone with opposite preferences.
 
Transform Yourself by Letting Go of the Past
 
Unbeknownst to many, we are driven by our past programming. If we don’t eradicate old limiting beliefs that serve us in today’s context, we are doomed. Attending a Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) workshop would address this.
 
It is the only personal development modality that transforms individuals at the training they attend as learning is through the five senses. Bypassing conscious mind filters, the unconscious mind is easily accessed.
 
Focus Your Unconscious Mind on the Future
 
Values are our deepest unconscious filter. Not knowing how to elicit them leaves individuals powerless. The greatest asset a decision maker could have is to understand their values and align them with a future path.
 
This is where a Vision forms and building blocks fall in place for success. It is the pathway to intuition which is the greatest asset individuals possess but are not using. Most don’t know how to.
 
Learning with structure and process so that success is easily replicable, is one of the deepest tenets of sustainable success. The answer lies in attending an NLP Practitioner Program which equips individuals with a powerful jigsaw puzzle for life.
 
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) skills are incredibly versatile and are applied in various aspects of life for long-term personal and professional development.
 
Using these life skills, individuals go from strength to strength, operating from resilience and adaptability.
 
Wouldn’t everyone want this?
 

It might seem counter productive to be talking about how to improve career growth in the current environment. People may have lost their jobs, had to change jobs or are just hanging on to the jobs they have.

Whether you are considering starting a business, have just started one or are already in business, you will find this article relevant.