I’m currently reading “NLP At Work – The difference that makes a difference in Business” which Sue wrote so I was looking forward to hearing her thoughts on Happiness At Work.
Using NLP to be happy at work
Sue Knight is an international consultant and author, pioneering the use of NLP for people in business. Her work includes and goes beyond NLP in her aim to support us all to discover our unsuspected greatness in this chaotic, challenging and turbulent world. Sue is committed to helping her clients to make a positive difference to their own organisations, their families and the world at large. She has also arranged her business around her love for different cultures and countries, sharing her time between the UK, France and India and working in many more countries. Sue brings heart and soul to business and shares how to do it.
Her main points in the interview were:
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Managers who get the most out of their staff are those that truly listen and connect to their staff. This may sound obvious but how often do you really put your staff first? Increasing your sensitivities to how other people are acting and their style is a good first step. I thought it was interesting that the direction people are looking can give you tips as to their learning style e.g. if you look up when you speak you are usually visualising what is being discussed. That’s me!
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Clarify your values though listening to the language you are using e.g. ought, should or must do, can mean that you have forgotten to explore what you really want. Look for where the tension is in your life. Three areas that NLP have identified are muscle tension (this can either be because of stress or it can simply be that you are not using your body the right way), inner noise (gets in the way of being present in the moment) and having a narrow vision.
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Not everyone wants to leave their jobs. Sue discussed ideas on how to enjoy your current workplace more e.g. try to identify the things which make you feel good. This can seem like an impossible task when you sick and tired of your job but try this little by little. Then increase the amount of time you spend on those things. During this discussion the thought came up again of letting go of what you want instead of desperately chasing your goals. If you go into a client meeting desperate to get them as a new client then this can be counter productive. I’ve recently written about getting too attached to your goals and how it can actually make you happier to let go of them.
The next speaker in this series of Happiness at Work is Valerie Young, an expert on “Outside the Job Box Careers” and the founder and Dreamer in Residence at ChangingCourse.com, a company designed to provide resources, tools, perspective, and inspiration to help discover and follow your dreams of a more fulfilling life, working at what you love.
