Do you have the tools you need to succeed?
Ever tried to undo a crosshead screw with a flat head driver… ever rounded a nut by using the wrong sized spanner… sometimes grabbing the nearest (or most familiar) tool seems like the quickest option. What inevitably happens is that ‘quick job’ gets harder or more complicated and the quick fix you were seeking becomes a more serious or time consuming problem.
Whether you are a plumber or a leader you need appropriate tools and experience for the job in hand, whether the job is to fix a leaking pipe, or motivate and engage employees.
My first job after leaving college was as an electronics technician, so I know a thing or two about electrics. So when my wife asked me if I could reposition a number of sockets in our house I told her it would be a simple job.
But I soon found that my tools which I had kept for so many years were blunt, some had even gone rusty. So rather than buy a whole new set I decided to call in an electrician who arrived with a utility belt filled with shiny up-to-date tools. Some of them I didn’t even recognise. He looked confident when using them and was also aware of current regulations.
The lesson I learned was that to do a good job you need a good working set of modern tools, and up-to-date knowledge of how to use them effectively.
The same can be said of the everyday challenges for anyone whose success relies on their ability to influence other people. Skills to motivate, engage, influence and persuade are developing all the time. If you haven’t updated your skills for a while it may be worth looking into what’s available today.
An increasing number of business professionals including managers, directors, sales executives and HR practitioners are seeking more effective tools for personal development, influencing and change. The growth in this market is quite significant, mainly because these newly developed tools work extremely well. If you are still using tools you learned years ago, you may be losing a competitive advantage.
The evidence that proves the effectiveness of these tools can be found by comparing the difference between the best and worst performing companies, and the type of training/coaching/personal development programmes they invest in.
You could also look into specific scenarios where an individual has made a significant difference in performance within a team or company. We have many case studies from our own clients who have put their newly acquired skills to immediate use.
How do you know if you need some new tools?
If you have ever felt a ‘tug’ as a result of a difficult conversation with someone you want to influence, then you might wish for a tool to help you deal with situations like this more effectively. If you want to deal with procrastination, lack of focus, poor goal setting and execution, low self-confidence, anxiety at public speaking or presentations in general, or just plain awkward people, the good news is that there are some very effective tools designed to overcome all these situations.
The next time you find yourself lacking certainty, or feeling anxious before an important presentation or interview, ask yourself if you have any tools to overcome the state you find yourself in. The next time you are lost for a way to connect with another person, imagine if you had just the right tool for making this connection, and the benefit of making a positive connection.
If you are less than happy with your performance you don’t have to continue to fall short of your full capability. In this age of empowerment, engagement and personal responsibility, more managers are turning to Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) for the tools to succeed. They are up-to-date, shiny and come with the most recent knowledge of how people communicate, motivate and engage with each other. And like any tool it is only as good as the person using it. To use it well you need to be confident in its fit for purpose and your ability to use it effectively. You can’t split an atom with an axe.
A poor workman blames his tools… a smart workman looks after his tools and gets the job done.
David Molden
Do you have a particular challenge?
Quadrant 1 International provide training and development for a wide variety of businesses and organisations. We particularly enjoy creating innovative solutions and developing programmes that ensure lasting results. Call us on 0870 762 1300 for an initial, no obligation, discussion.
Who knows, it might just make your job a whole lot easier.
