CorporateCoach eNewsletter

Issue No. 88, 7^th February 2005

Editorial: Beliefs
Coaching notes: Use actions to create empowering beliefs

1. Editorial: Beliefs

Richard Winfield - editor and principal consultant I thought you might be interested to learn how I am getting on with my goal setting (CorporateCoach No. 85). Having written out my goals and gradually improved the detail, I have now written each of the 16 goals at the top of a new page. Next stage is to write a commentary below each one – one or more per day – as I consider the current situation, plans and developments. I must admit that I have not opened my journal in the last few days as I have been extremely busy, but this approach allows me to focus on a small number of goals at a time.

We are involved in facilitating changes at a major industrial plant. We often apply Robert Dilts' Logical Levels model. This reviews an organisation in terms of Environment, Behaviour, Competencies, Beliefs & Values, Identity and Purpose. The management have been operating at the environment and behaviour level; we have been facilitating the creation and communication of a vision and set of values. These can be powerful forces for change. After all, why should you change if your behaviour is congruent with your identity? Change the identity and the rest will follow.

I had an interesting experience of a conflict between belief and identity some years ago. I attended a memory course. I have a strong belief that my memory is very poor – and my behaviour supports this. However, I also have a very strong identity as a competitive learner.

On this day (and this day only) my memory skills were excellent and I was able to take my 'proper' position as the best learner in the room!! Once the workshop was over, I reverted to type and my memory deteriorated.

One of the attractions of NLP is that it helps to discover the mental strategy used for simple tasks. For example, I lived in Wales for many years. One year I offered to prepare the hymn sheet for a 'cymanfa ganu' at our local church. Typing in Welsh is slower than in English. I noticed that I read a word, speak it internally and then type what I hear. A more efficient way would be to see the word and then type what I see!

I am concerned that I have great difficulty remembering names. When I see a cat, I think 'cat'. Same with a dog and most other 'things'. But when I see a person, I refer to a chain of associations from which I can eventually work out what their name is. Better to associate the face with the name when I first meet them – but of course I am more concerned with my belief that I cannot remember people's names!

This week's coaching note is on a related topic. Beliefs are powerful things. "Whether you think can or you think you can't, you're probably right" (Henry Ford). So knowing how to change your beliefs is helpful.

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2. Coaching Notes: Use actions to create empowering beliefs

Every moment of your life is an opportunity to change completely. Your beliefs. Your life?s direction. Your destiny.

The following exercise tells you how.

Think of something you want to believe about yourself, but which you aren?t quite sure is true.

State your desired belief in a positive form. Make sure it?s truly yours, something you can do something about. Make sure it?s respectful of your work, your family and your friends, and about process, not static perfection. Complete this before going on.

Ask yourself, ?What would a person with this desired belief naturally do?? imagine many different actions. List them.

Select a specific time and place in your future where you would like to have your desired belief.

Select an action from your list that?s evidence of your desired belief and is appropriate for that specific future time and place.

See yourself in your selected future time and place doing that action. Watch the scene (as though it were a movie) of that ?future you? completing the actions of your desired belief. Revise the scene if it?s necessary so that it is positive and appropriate.

Rewind that scene to the beginning. Step into it and go through this future time as if you?re living it now. See the scene around you. Feel the feelings. Hear yourself state your belief with conviction. Go through the scene to the end.

Repeat steps 4 through 7 three more times. Select a different appropriate action from your list of actions for your desired belief each time, each with another future time and place.

From NLP Patterns for Success Mastery,
Charles Faulkner & Robert McDonald, Nightingale Conant

USEFUL LINKS:

Nightingale Conant
Changing Beliefs, Rapport, and You, Carmine Baffa

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We hope you enjoyed this issue of CorporateCoach. If you would like to learn more about how we can work together, then please contact me, Richard Winfield:

Telephone: 08450 678 222, or +44 (0)121 704 2006 (international)
E-mail: editor@brefigroup.co.uk