John set his sights on being the CEO of a multinational company (MNC) someday. By the end of his career, he had planned for a successful retirement, one that would have him sitting loftily on financial stability. 
He was now in Senior Leadership, the Chief Operations Officer (COO) of an MNC, pretty close to his goals and pretty much on track. Like many others globally, he had not anticipated a pandemic and the chaos that came with it.

His entire Operations team had to be re-hashed in so many ways. He could see some would have difficulty with the new style of working as their mindset and level of behavioural flexibility left much to be desired. 

He too knew that he would have to change in many ways especially as a leader.  The mindset to cope with current and future issues. Most importantly, his leadership would have to withstand the future and be prepared for any eventuality. 

Thankful for the Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) courses he had done that set him apart from the rest! He had climbed the career ladder fast, learning self-management tools and operating from a high performer’s mindset. 

His ability to master NLP was a big factor in having him reach the success he had. His playground was the many companies he had worked for that gave him the opportunity to use influential language with his teams, to mostly understand other perspectives and resolve conflict.

At the end of the day it was about not taking things personally and having the ability to negotiate between two parties to a desired outcome. John began to jot down things that were fundamentally crucial to creating a Leadership mindset for the future. 

What else would he need and what would he look for when recruiting a leader into his team?

1. Visionary 

While this term had been bandied about for decades, the true ability to see beyond and prepare for the worst was something that had not been fleshed out to the extent that was needed.

A leader needed to be visionary and think critically, perhaps even imagine living in a simulated world of extremes, to be prepared for the worst case scenario.

2. Empathy  

The old days of authoritarianism were over and the ability to empathise by stepping into the other’s shoes, escalated in importance. Coaching for self-management was one such skill that many lacked. 

A leader needed to understand others’ perspectives in resolving situations and making decisions. 

3. Flexibility 

The person with the greatest behavioural flexibility ended up being the winner. To up-skill and re-skill where needed, gave leadership the confidence to rotate and assign tasks as required. 

A leader needed to give employees job rotation roles as frequently as possible to acquaint themselves with working from different angles of the company.

4. Decision Making

A good and fast decision maker arose from leaders who were connected to their intuition. They were focused and driven individuals with no internal conflict. 

A leader needed to have cleared out emotional and spiritual blockages to roam uncertainty with ease. 
John also realised that for all this to be steadfastly grounded in company culture, companies needed to be in businesses that were sustainable. The overall big picture of what Mother Earth needed would have to be the driving force. 

Inside of this if the needs of employees were taken into account and met, for instance the flexible leader who promoted employees as self-management advocates where work-life balance came naturally. John recalled a CEO he had worked for in his career changes. 

He was focused on making his people happy first. “When people are inherently happy” he said “they will also come to work happy and perform.” It was so many years ago that this insightful CEO had communicated his philosophy.

He retained his people. They loved working at the company. They worked together as a team with transparency and a non-existent hierarchy. They played hard and worked hard! A big part was that they had installed a culture change using NLP tools as their main methodology. 

Employees became adept at self-management as many found it easy to master. NLP was after all a process-driven model which was  highly applicable to Leadership and the workplace. 

Looking back on the last year and what he had been through, he was thankful for his mindset and desire to continuously learn. He was prepared for the future especially when it was his turn to be in that hot seat!

​Sara started to feel uplifted. It was coming to the end of a year when the world stopped for a pandemic. Living life in normalcy had been a luxury. Those who had life turned upside down were in strife at the new landscape they were facing. Many worked from home. Sara knew though that her winning mindset would have her do anything and everything to make things happen. She was an adventurer at heart who took on challenges in life as they appeared.

She had lost her job in the pandemic and had to find options to reinvent herself. She realised many aspects of her life needed to be refreshed. She charged on with acquiring self management skills. Zoom courses made it easy to upskill from home. These would augur well to heighten her behavioural flexibility and give her adaptive capabilities for whatever eventuated. It would also help her journey down a path to self-actualization.

Coaching resonated with her. She could see the value of being coached. It would accelerate her journey to clarity. She also realised the fulfilment of being a coach. Living life helping others step into their personal power must be the most gratifying feeling, she thought to herself. So she hired an NLP coach and signed up for an online NLP course “Create Your Future Now” at the same time. She wanted someone who would teach her how to accelerate outcomes with a winning mindset and learn models fast through a course.

While most people thought change was a long and arduous process, Sara’s NLP coach begged to differ. The best part about NLP coaching Sara thought, would be to work fast via her 5 senses. She was told these processes produced profound results. Now after a mere 4 weeks, she came out on the other side and saw the world through different lenses. Abundant options and possibilities were in front of her. She had learnt how to create from nothing.

The mind map that she produced at the end of the course would be a metaphor is guardian to her journey. She would continue her NLP journey through to the Practitioner course to add to her repertoire of tools she had already acquired. Her relationships at home and work that had been under the spotlight, made a turnaround after she stepped into her NLP coaching mindset.

​Many aspects of her life were cleaned out so it was a short path to deciphering what she would focus on in 2022. She was establishing her business and would be ready to see coaching clients as soon as the year began. Her winning mindset got her here fast. She realised many of her friends would have the big question lurking in the forefront of their minds.What to change next year! She knew her friend Deborah was still in a quandary as many others in their cohort.

They were still wondering what to do in 2022 having not done much in the pandemic. In a way Sara felt losing her job was a blessing in disguise as it forced her to look at the future with discernment and urgency. More than anything relationships had changed. Working from home and social distancing had pushed people apart. This was not a natural way to be. Human beings needed the connection. Many were struggling internally and didn’t know where to turn.

Having now acquired coaching skills Sara felt on top of the world. She had self management tools and was confident too about wearing her new hat as a coach. An idea struck her! Perhaps she could help her friends gain clarity for 2022. She sent an email out about her offer to do some group coaching sessions. Would anyone be interested? A few hands went up. So she set on her way to take the group through steps that would clear the way for decisions. Zoom sessions from home made it so convenient for everyone to attend;

THE SET UP
Sara briefed the group in their first session. This phase would involve diagnosing where they were currently, in their life, individually. What did their life look like now? Sharing a few self management diagnostic tools she helped them identify gaps. She could see relationships were a big gap with most.

CLEARING MIND COBWEBS
Next Sara explained that unless past negativity was cleared, it would not augur well to focus on the future. This was a fundamental part in accessing a winning mindset. She helped the group identify their blockages. Whether it was negative self-beliefs like “I am not good enough” or fear and anxiety, they flushed it out.

RE-DIRECTING THE UNCONSCIOUS MIND
Most people were unfamiliar with their unconscious. Questions popped up. What was it? How did it work? Were there ways to maximise its use? Sara began by having everyone set goals. This was the way to re-focus the mind to what they really wanted. She then facilitated a process to install these goals in their unconscious mind.

ACCELERATING RESULTS
Now that they were ready to blitz their performance, Sara shared many self management processes they could use to signal their unconscious mind to success. Most important was for them to use their 5 senses and imagine that the outcomes had already manifested.

It all seemed easy enough having these mental NLP models. In fact as weeks went by each of them were beginning to experience changes. They were clear as to what they would focus on and doubt fell on the wayside. They had stepped into a winning mindset.

The few weeks of group NLP coaching had given them a forum to discuss their progress as they journeyed on different roads together. There was so much power in having buddies to challenge and be challenged. They had each other to fall back on. Sara had done them a good deed. They were living life now excited at the prospect of 2022 approaching. “Bring it on” was their posture, rather contrary to how they had begun.

Working from home was a concept that was considered a no-no for many non-technology companies, until Covid-19 hit. The year 2020 was phenomenal in forcing a mindset change to many ways of operating, one of them being the whole idea of working from home...

Hearing first-hand from employees that their company revenue metrics surged despite the workforce working from home, the truth homed in. It was evident that with less travel time and expenses, employees had improved work productivity. Further to that, workers reported that they were well rested hence felt reduced stress and hopefully on the way to a healthy life. While many were resistant to a mindset change in the past, especially when organisations organised corporate
trainings, the great re-set was proof that change happens fast when the need arises.

So, being open to new ways of operating is all that is needed, to lead a directed life towards reduced stress and improved work productivity. If you are one who has the option to continue working from home, good for you. As a Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) Trainer, I say this with my hand on my heart.

Understanding how to make profound change easily and fast is what I help people do. The only thing I look for is that the person is open to learning new things and come to the fore of their own accord, without any pressure from family or Colleagues.

So what I share in this article is from an NLP perspective. In many ways these tips will help direct your mind to great results like reduced stress and improved work productivity. Healthy Work-life Balance Tips for Working From Home (WFH);

1. Keep the connection with others
It is an important time to relate and communicate with colleagues so keep the corridor of conversation open. Human beings need the emotional connection to balance IQ, EQ and SQ. Don’t feel guilty to pick up the phone and have a chat to a colleague when you need a break. However you do need rules around how long you chat for. This refresher is important for reduced stress.

2. Set daily rules based on your
Circadian rhythms If you are a morning person, schedule activities that require your greatest focus. Working with your natural energy patterns will yield improved work productivity. ​Observe your patterns and plan your week based on this. Do this so you create work-life balance which leads to a healthy life. You will see results within a few weeks.

3. Create time for yourself
Working from home can get serious so it is fundamental that you build space in your schedule for some personal time. Whether to hang on the phone with a friend or listen to music, this is rejuvenates energy. When we are joyous we feel good. This cycle allows for energy to top up and give you a refreshed feeling. Laughter is the best medicine. An old adage that still holds true which leads to reduced stress.

4. Choose a practice you love
To create work-life balance we must rejuvenate from the mind, body, spirit angles. A physical exercise regime to swim or jog at a certain time of day, augurs well for the unconscious mind to engage rigorously. From the spiritual dimension, whether prayer or meditation are your choices, that is up to you. These are important practices to have a sustainable and healthy life.

5. Anchor your workspace
When working from home, this is probably the most important point to generate improved productivity. Your unconscious mind is an obedient mind. If you give her orders, she will know what you want. So, give her orders by working from the same
place daily. Write proposals in one part of your home and take calls in another. Do the same activity in the same place every day.

6. Be outcome driven
Set goals for yourself daily and weekly. Acknowledge small wins that encourage you to achieve even more. This is how you strive to achieve a mindset change. Directing your unconscious mind is gravely important. It forces you to focus and this is where resilience is built. When working from home this is a fundamental practice to set and achieve work-life balance.

I hope you realise now that the unconscious mind is fundamentally where a mindset change occurs. Knowing how to work it to the fullest, yields reduced stress hence a healthy life in the long run. With mental health eroding globally, many people suffer from anxiety that is exacerbated further by working from home. A work-life balance is easily achieved if you implement some of the tips I have shared.

​Trevor had a big task ahead of him. The Board had approved his Human Resource proposal to implement a Culture Change project in the coming year. Even the mere thought of what it would entail gave Trevor the notion that it would be a full - on year. It was December and at year end he knew as HR Director of the company that his people had worked hard. He could not stress more the power of re-charging energy at year end. To throw caution to the wind and change gears in their life.

He wrote a memo out to all Heads of Department stressing the importance of taking a break at year end. Other parts of the human brain needed use. The over reliance on left brain activities would be yearning for some right brain activities. Get outdoors and play was the tone of his note.

The company Christmas party organised would set the tone. It was time to dance, laugh, sing and play. The visual of a battery re-charging popped into Trevor’s head. The human mind was exactly like a battery. When the charge was strong, high performance was achieved. The capacity to re-charge self-confidence was innate and once done, would be available for use to the fullest.

This state of mind in need of re-charging most often surfaced at year end and Trevor having run HR for more than 20 years was well aware of that. After 48 weeks of hard yakka, the remaining few were in need of a hunker down. Employees who did this produced consistency in performance. Trevor indicated some steps that came to mind. These could be easily implemented if people were interested; Get loads of sleep

Counter to most thinking that sleep is a waste of time, this is one of the best healers. Sleep re-connects neurological pathways and repairs organs that have been working overtime. Sleep between 10pm to 2am is crucial as that is when the organ mechanic is hard at work. A good sleep regime is uninterrupted 7 to 8 hours daily. Learn how to meditate This is an opportune way to access downtime. Trevor was a Vipassana meditator. He attended a ten-day silent retreat that taught him the art of meditation. It was one of the best things he ever did.

Meditation rejuvenated his energy levels and gave him peace of mind to sleep well and improve mental health. He started running when he had never been a runner. He didn’t suffer jet lag anymore despite the intense travel schedule he had. His productivity and self-confidence shot through the roof. Many such things emerged after he started practising meditation. He became a new person.

Switch off internal dialogue Trevor found a big hurdle in his life in the past was his internal dialogue. His analytical mind that constantly talked to him. Stopping him from doing what his heart desired. He realised as long as he was having conversations with himself, he was not engaging with the outside world.

Internal dialogue operated counter intuitive to improving productivity and tapping into self-confidence. Since becoming aware of this one component that blocked him from so many positive things he shared his experience with many who suffered negative self-image.

Travel was a favourite of most. Leaving routine and familiarity behind to venture into new landscapes was a great way to use different parts of the brain. It was not for everyone though. Some preferred to go down to their favourite diner and meet friends. Whatever the case it was important to do what made the heart sing. If it got you excited that would augur well for a rest. He pondered over his life. Many things would change in the coming year.

Once Neuro-Linguistic Programming was implemented company wide, this would create more managers as coaches. Companies like his that were intent on creating high performance teams were aware that NLP was an accelerated approach to achieving superior results. Trevor was expecting to see a fast turnaround in results once his people connected to the core of their being and tapped into their self-confidence. These were exciting times!

​Petra walked down the street and came to a crossroad. She had to choose – left or right? She had already been through hell in her life. The wrong road would only make her suffer more. Her heart said right and her thinking mind said left. She decided to go right. After all she had been training her soul intelligence to find its way towards self management and she was beginning to see some success through the otherwise closed blinds of her life.

Reminiscing to only a few months before when she craved an answer that would yield rapid results. She saw an ad on Facebook that called out to her. The language called out to her. It said Practitioner, a word that had been playing on her mind. Petra felt a draw to coaching. Her heart was opening to the pain around her. She knew more people would need help to cross the bridge from certainty to an ever-changing landscape ahead of them.

The words Rapid Success Coaching screamed out at her. This is what she would love to learn. Technology like this would help turnaround masses fast. Most individuals and organisations yearned for change in a short timeframe. When once she was a mere corporate lady doing her day-in day-out routines, she was now propelled towards a compelling future. At least she could see light at the end of the tunnel and that gave her vigour.

To be guided by some purpose and have meaning in life! Wow what an opposing take on life from where she was before. She couldn’t wait. She had signed up for “Series A and B - Create Your Future Now” and was going all the way to be a Practitioner of NLP which was the foundation methodology of Rapid Success Coaching. This felt right. The course synopsis said she would eradicate blockages from her past that were very often stuck in the unconscious, unbeknownst to the individual. She pulled herself out of her daydream and thought it was only a few days before the course would start.

She wanted to master NLP so she would be adept at meshing processes within the NLP toolbox to create more impactful results. Only then would she be ready to learn the Rapid Success Coaching technology that created rapid success.

What Petra loved most was that individuals would learn self management tools that would help them live with self-confidence. Having spoken to a few past participants, who were animated and eloquent in explaining the internal unblocking they had experienced, she was convinced. The alarm went off. It was 8am on Saturday and she had two hours before Series A started. Excitedly she went through her morning rituals and set up her quiet space in the study so she could totally immerse herself for the next two hours.

As expected she met course mates online, many of whom were on the same path searching for self management tools. Some were like her, interested in going all the way to master NLP and be certified as a practitioner. Many people in her generation were driven by purpose as they felt a need to change focus in the world. Capitalism at the expense of the poor had to be reversed stamping out greed, replaced by collaboration towards closing the wealth gap.

Petra went through Series A and B, playing at 100%. She gained clarity which helped her call on friends to practice her coaching skills as the 7-day Practitioner course would follow in a few months. She experienced in herself and her clients, the rapid results and success that she had signed up for. She was on the path to installing purpose and meaning in her life. She couldn’t believe that just a few months ago she was stagnating in her job with no direction.

She saw high performers in the company. They seemed to know the way. She wanted so badly to be like them and be purpose-driven. They loved their jobs and she longed to find her calling too. But how? It was with a huge breath of relief that she thanked the Divine for bringing that Facebook post to her attention. It seemed like when she searched she would find. She was on her way to creating a future she loved.

Feeling lucky that it was even available online with minimal effort and disruption to her, she smiled to herself. Rapid Success Coaching here I come!