How to be a 360° Leader – Study Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)!

The world of business is changing, and leadership is becoming an ever more complex and diverse profession. Leadership should not be seen as a hierarchical position but rather as a 360° role that influences all the time, and simultaneously at all levels of the organisation.

In this blog, we will look at how neuro linguistic programming (NLP) can help you to influence people in a positive way. We will also look at some of the key influencing techniques that will make you more complete when it comes to 360° leadership.

The ability to influence well is a powerful skill. It is the ability to change the behaviour of others, whether they are friends or strangers, customers or colleagues.

The best way to influence is to be able to read and understand the other person. Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a set of concepts and techniques that allows you to do this effectively.

What Is NLP?

Developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970’s, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a collection of practices and techniques that are used to help people communicate more effectively. When you use NLP, you’re able to understand how someone else is feeling, what they want from you and what they need from you.

When you know how someone else is feeling, you can create a connection with them based on their true feelings rather than their surface emotions or thoughts. You can also sense when someone feels threatened by your presence and needs some space from you, or when someone feels like they want something from you but isn’t sure how to ask for it.

Most importantly, NLP teaches us how we can influence others without having a direct impact on them.

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is based on four main principles:

1. The brain operates on a sub-conscious level.
2. How people think, and act can be changed by learning to see things from different perspectives; for example, by learning how to use language in certain ways, or how to use visualisation techniques.
3. People’s behaviour is influenced by their environment and their past experiences; therefore, if you can understand these things about someone then you can use this knowledge to influence them.
4. People are predisposed towards certain attitudes and behaviours which are learned from family, friends and society at large; therefore, if you want someone to change their attitudes or behaviour then you must first identify what these predispositions are, before attempting to change them.

To be a 360° leader is a skill that requires consistency in really knowing and understanding the above about your boss, team and peers, and programming yourself to read daily situations well, which of course are always subject to change.

The first stage in reading someone’s body language involves observing their facial expressions and listening carefully to what they say so that you know what kind of mood they are in at any given time. This will help you identify any changes in their mood or emotions over time as well as any key information that might be important for future conversations with them such as what makes them happy or unhappy.

Reading someone’s eye movements can tell you whether they’re interested in what you’re saying or they are bored by it — which can help you adjust your speech accordingly. If someone looks away when you’re speaking, it might mean that he or she doesn’t believe what you’re saying or doesn’t trust what you’re telling him or her about something important.

The best influencing techniques for leaders are the same as those for anyone else. The only difference is that a leader is a more powerful influencer than most people, so they must be careful about how they use that power.

The following are some of the most effective influencing techniques for leaders:

1. Ask questions to gain understanding and insight.
2. Use facts, data and statistics to support your position.
3. Appeal to the emotions of others by using stories and anecdotes that illustrate your point of view. Don’t be frightened to use humour, it often works well.
4. Use personal experience to reinforce your message by relating it to someone else’s situation or problem.
5. Ask others for their opinions and suggestions before making any decisions on your own behalf or on behalf of the company (if their ideas are reasonable).

Asking questions is a key part of good coaching skills. It helps you understand what’s really going on for the other person and helps them open up about their own challenges and solutions. If you’re used to offering solutions or giving advice, it can take some time to learn this new approach, but it certainly pays off in terms of stronger relationships with your colleagues and superiors, as well as getting better results more quickly!

Instead of asking yes or no questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” ask open-ended questions that encourage people to share their thoughts and opinions. This is one of the most effective influencing techniques because it helps you understand how people think about an issue before making an argument for yourself.

Listen actively instead of just listening passively. This means truly hearing what people say rather than planning what you’re going to say next (or thinking about your response while they’re still talking). Listen more than you talk. While it’s important that you express yourself clearly when it comes to influencing others, it’s just as important that you listen carefully to what others have to say as well. You’ll get much better results if you listen first and then respond after hearing both sides of an argument or debate.

NLP is not just a theory: it’s a set of tools that can help you make changes in your life. These tools are based on the study of human language — how we communicate with each other using words, sounds and body language. The principles of NLP can have a positive effect on building inter-personal skills. When it comes to communication, verbal and non-verbal cues account for 90 percent of all communications.

A great book to read is “The 360° Leader” by John C. Maxwell which examines the art of influence from the perspective of the most challenging role in an organisation, the middle manager.

To study NLP and skills of influencing, can help us understand language better, define our values and think positively, give highly effective and instantaneous feedback, accept correction without feeling threatened or insulted and provide honest appreciation to others. All these qualities make us better leaders, and better leaders make better businesses.

If you would like to discuss leadership development in more detail with one of our experts, then please do not hesitate to contact us.