Management is a very important part of society. Organizations, businesses, churches and even families depend on it. Management differs from leadership in many ways. Managing means more than managing people. It involves managing all of an organization’s resources and tools to meet specific objectives, uniting people to work together for that specific purpose. Therefore, without effective management skills, a business enterprise, organization, or family will experience disorientation and confusion.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming, or NLP, offers a wide variety of techniques and methods that can help improve management skills. Many managers and leaders are starting to investigate the rich study of NLP to find solutions to management related problems they often face every day. By learning and applying these NLP tactics in everyday situations, a manager, CEO, parent, minister, or any type of person entrusted with any managerial responsibility will be able to better manage people.
Taking multiple perspectives is a basic NLP principle that allows an individual to see through the eyes of others. Most people tend to only have one dominant perspective, and it is their own way of seeing things. However, for a manager to be truly effective both at home and in the workplace, he must see through various perspectives and assess how things look from each point of view. A single event or situation can be viewed in four different ways. It can be viewed from a personal point of view, the other person’s point of view, from the perspective of a casual bystander, or from the point of view of the organization as a whole. Therefore, a manager must carefully place himself in each perspective before making crucial managerial decisions. This will ensure that the decisions that are made work effectively for the common good of the organization.
Since a manager deals with people all the time, it is important that he is an expert in both verbal and non-verbal communication. Studies show that a higher percentage of communication comes from body language than words! Therefore, if a manager wants to instill security and confidence among his subordinates, his body language must reflect that he is a firm, reliable and tough leader. He must also be able to make other people feel comfortable when he is around. NLP provides a lot of information about body language and how it affects human relationships. Effective non-verbal communication helps build rapport, establish trust, handle organizational problems, and give people a general sense of enthusiasm that will help increase job performance.
There are two main types of management styles in NLP. The first is management by exception. This is a leadership style in which the leader only steps in when problems or conflicts arise. Delegate a lot of responsibility to supervisors or middle managers who play a larger role in managing people on a daily basis. The second management style is management by objectives. This is results-oriented leadership. It involves working closely with the organization’s top leaders and setting clear, measurable objectives aimed at achieving long-term goals. Both management styles can be used, depending on the type of organization and the manager’s preference.
