One of the things that often comes up in conversation as soon as we start talking about goal setting, or time management, or just getting anything done, is the idea of work life balance. I don't particularly like that phrase because it sort of suggests that there's work, and then there's life. And I think that work and life are part of the same thing really. So perhaps a better way of putting it is that it's about managing the balance between your professional life and your personal life.

I've got two things for you to consider…

Lots of people enjoy going on courses and discovering new things and understanding more about themselves, experimenting with different ways of doing things, and very often will come away feeling motivated to do some things in a different way. Have you ever felt just a little bit concerned that if you suddenly change what you're doing people around you are going to notice and perhaps judge you unfavourably because of it? You know that old thing where you do something and somebody says: "Oh… been on a training course have you?" Well nobody wants to be on the receiving end of that, do they? So if you've ever been in a situation where you've held yourself back a little bit from trying something new because you're concerned about how people might react, I want you to think about this…

I’m reading a great book.  It’s  ‘Start with Why’ by Simon Sinek.  The sub-title is ‘How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action’.

Sinek’s core premise is that people are inspired by WHY you do something, not by HOW you do it or by WHAT you do.  The WHY springs from beliefs and values and engages others at a primitive, emotional level in a way that WHAT and HOW do not.

(To get a flavour of Sinek's work, have a look at his TED talk here.)

So, inevitably, I’ve been thinking…

Why do I do what I do?  Why do I take NLP to audiences of Engineers, IT Professionals, Scientists and Finance Specialists instead of the more usual (and often more enthusiastic) audiences of salespeople, coaches, marketeers and entrpreneurs?

And the answer is this:

The people I work with are often among the brightest in their organisation.  They usually have high IQ, they’re well educated and well-qualified.  ‘Wall-to-wall PhDs’ describes one of our client companies very well.

And often, but not always, those same people are quite introverted personality types.  Not surprising really.  Anyone who is paid to think probably enjoys thinking rather than talking.  That’s a classic trait of introverted personalities.

Also, ever since Daniel Goleman published ‘Emotional Intelligence’ there has been a drop in status of people with high IQ.  It’s EQ that determines the personal success of an individual, according to Goleman.  That may be true, but what about the success of a team or company?  Can it survive without technical experts?

What typically happens is organisations that employ technical specialists only get part of the value they could, from having this brainpower in the team.   The experts have knowledge and skills that others don’t share.  That’s what makes them experts.

The problem is, how do you communicate effectively with people who don’t understand what you’re talking about?  If you’re strongly introverted, it all might seem like too much trouble, and often there is a big divide between technical teams and ‘the business’.

Now, I believe companies need experts.  Companies need brainpower to devise new products, new strategies and solutions to problems old and new.  I’ve heard so many smart people explaining the reason why their company isn’t doing well and what should be changed.

Then ending with, ‘but they don’t listen to me’.

So I’m on a mission.  I want to get all parts of an organisation (your organisation) communicating with each other.  I want to see technical expertise recognised and utilised, instead of sidelined and derided.  I believe intelligence matters and I want to see intelligent people contributing all they can to their organisation’s success. 

The key is in communication.

And what better tool for increasing communication effectiveness than NLP?
 

Communication is probably one of the most important parts of most people's work. It's also one of the hardest things to get right in a big organisation. When I go into companies there are two things that I often hear people complaining about. I think the most common one is: "Nobody told us". And then the other most common one is: "Nobody asked us".

 

 

Here’s a simple way to get yourself motivated on Monday morning – or any time. This process is useful for focusing your energy and attention on a specific task. It can help you overcome habits of procrastination and also to motivate you to do something that you do not enjoy.

It takes practice to get the very best results from this, but most people can derive benefit from it straight away.

Here’s what you do:

1. Identify the specific task that you want to complete – now.
2. Think about the task and notice the picture you have of it in your mind’s eye as you think about it.
3. Adjust the picture in your mind’s eye – it’s not its content, but its structure that we’re going to change:

• Make the picture bigger
• Make it brighter
• Bring it closer to you so it’s really ‘in your face’
• Add a stirring sound track, a piece of music that makes you want to get up and move

4. Go and complete the task!!!
 

I recently saw this question posted on LinkedIn and it got me thinking…

Question from:
Roger J.
VP, IT

Is the increased focus on soft skills within IT providing a climate where people no longer are good at hard skills?

Compared to old developers, new developers do not make the effort to learn to become better developers and think that good is good enough. Code quality and pride in work seems to be rapidly decreasing. Developers no longer code outside of work nor do they buy books to help them get smarter. They aren't even reading articles online while at work. 

How many professionals are hiding behind the gift of gab and if the focus wasn't on soft skills would be immediately out of a job?

My answer:
(From the perspective of a provider of 'soft skills' for IT professionals) 

This is a great question and one that really got me thinking. Is there really an emphasis on soft skills for developers at present? Most of the groups of IT professionals that we work with include PMs, Analysts, PMO and a few testers but rarely any actual developers. 

I would also add, that in my experience developers tend to be smart people and if they want to increase their interpersonal skills they usually pick up relevant ideas and useful skills very quickly. One of the biggest issues is that colleagues elsewhere in a business tend to disregard the opinions of technical professionals, assuming that they only know about technology. 

The net result is often not that developers can't relate to non-technical colleagues but that they are unwilling to because of the way they are treated – as 'geeks' and freaks who have no interpersonal skills. 

The soft skills needed to bridge the gap between business and technology have to be built from both sides of the divide.
 

The Right Mindset. The Right Attitude. The Right Approach. Most successful business people and entrepreneurs agree that how you think is a crucial factor in whether your business is a fantastic money-making, self-esteem-boosting, headline-worthy success or an embarrassing, money-draining and demoralising failure.

What there is less agreement about, however, is what constitutes the Right Mindset.

Some people think that a positive attitude is the most important thing. I agree with that up to a point. But if a positive attitude means a Pollyanna-style ‘isn’t everything wonderful’ approach to life, then I don’t agree that it will contribute to your success.

If a positive attitude is recognising that even though there is a problem, there will also be a solution, then you’re closer to being on my wavelength.

If a positive attitude is a purposeful attitude, I think we might be in business.

A purposeful attitude means that you know what you want to achieve. It means that you have goals and plans. It means that you are committed to timescales and deadlines.

Having a purposeful attitude means that even if you feel tired, demoralised or demotivated, even if you’re low in confidence, creativity or cash, you can still get on and do something.

The real art of a successful mindset is not about always being upbeat, positive and confident. The real art is in continuing to get things done even when you don’t feel upbeat, positive or confident.

It’s the determined focus on fulfilling your promises, on meeting your deadlines and using your capabilities regardless of how you feel today. As human beings, we are emotional beings. Emotions come and go, moods change and motivation fluctuates.

Today, ask yourself this: What tasks can I do even when I feel like s***? What progress can I make even when I feel like giving up? What can I do to remind myself that feeling good isn’t a pre-requisite condition for success?
 

If you've read any books about NLP or you've attended a seminar or training programme, you've probably heard the phrase 'Being at cause'. And I hope that you've picked up that that's a desirable state to be in. There are, however, some misunderstandings about what it really means and I thought it might be worthwhile just clarifying what I think it means and how it can be useful…

 

 

 

One of the questions I often get asked is why do we teach NLP to business leaders? Lots of people have heard of NLP. Sometimes when I meet someone socially and they ask what I do for a living, when I tell them what I do – that I teach NLP to business leaders – they say 'but isn't NLP about psychotherapy and stuff like that?' Well certainly that's where it started out…