Recent Success Stories

"I was able to almost triple my income in just 30 days as a result of working with Christopher Howard. Not only did the work we did together impact my financial future, but he assisted me in finding my life's purpose. I am more on track and excited about life then ever before."

— Jon Andre Bliss, USA

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Modelling has changed my life. For the better I would add. And very much for the better. I appreciate aspects of life that were insignificant and meaningless to me prior to learning the real meaning of what it is to model. I also got married just over two years ago and I realised (I knew it in my heart previously) that my husband - Spence is a modeller. Not only that but he has the ability to convey the quality of his appreciation of life to me. Spence can elicit the 'difference that makes the difference'. He is able to detect and appreciate skills, for example, in interviews that others have often overlooked. The result of this is that he has a team of people who are exceptionally talented at what they do even though they may not be skilled in the way that they conduct themselves at interviews. Spence is also a sports enthusiast and he has communicated his appreciation of quality in many sports such as motor racing, athletics, rugby, football, cycling and snooker to me in such a way that I can really enjoy these sports in a ways that I would never have dreamt possible. Spence truly celebrates talent. I am of course biased - he is after all my husband.

What is modelling?

Before I continue with why modelling is key to business today let me first of all define what I mean by modelling. Modelling is the process of observing, analysing and reproducing the structure of particular abilities, particularly excellence in oneself and in others. I was interested in a comment I read recently about the process of modelling in which the author said that it all sounds very simple and indeed it does. 'The challenge is that to, momentarily, detach oneself from a lifetime of experiences, beliefs and behaviour to recognise what it is that drives another person (or oneself I would add) to behave in the way that they do, takes an immense shift in thinking.' I agree with that totally. Simple yet simultaneously complex.

Modelling Can Be A Lifestyle

The penny dropped for me about modelling just over five years ago. I'd learnt the formal skills of modelling as part of my initial training with UKTC (the UK Training Centre). However it was after a course that I had been running with Gene Early that I realised that modelling could be a lifestyle. My realisation was like a smack on the back of the head. This realisation opened the door to my understanding the curiosity and celebration of excellence that is at the heart of modelling.

The Best Model Naturally

I also realised that not only could I model the 'best' but that the 'best' model naturally. I quote from my new book - NLP Solutions.

In a Sunday Times article about the brilliance of Michael Schumacher on the eve of the 1997 Japanese Grand Prix John Barnard, responsible for the technical development of the Arrows motor racing team is quoted as saying..."It's a kind of mental attitude, a total commitment." He has this innate ability to go quickly, which means he is able to concentrate on what car is doing a lot more. He can recount clearly every corner around the lap and this feedback is clear and sharp. It's what all the really good ones have got. Alain Prost was the same. You could talk about something a week after it had happened and he'd still give you the exact picture.'

What John Barnard is referring to here is Michael Schumacher's ability to use his skill of visual recall and to do this with a precision that contributes significantly to his superior driving skill. Clarity of visual recall is a distinction in thinking patterns. What is also interesting is John Barnard's ability to recognise this. He is showing an ability to detect i.e. model, the crucial and yet often unconscious strategies. With this kind of skill managers and indeed anyone in business today could look at their top performers and identify the difference that makes the difference. However, far from thinking of it as an innate skill we can think if it as something that can be learned and taught to others. Racing teams go to great lengths to conceal the secrets of their racing strategies and the latest technical developments that will give their cars the mechanical edge on the track. Yet some of the really key differentiators are the thinking strategies of the drivers. It is this magic ingredient that John Barnard has laid bare in his comments. One of the most priceless ingredients of success is available for all to see and use if they knew how. In Michael Schumacher we have a racing driver who to quote the article 'wins races he should not do and does not lose races he should win.' It is that talent and the thinking that produces it that is the true magic. And what we have in John Barnard is one of the most sought after technical designers in his business.

In my book I have referred to other examples of famous and successful people who have this innate ability to model. These include Nigel Slater author of Real Cooking and George Martin the music producer. It is the modelling ability of these people that has put them at the top of their profession and it is this modelling ability that is the key to the way that business leaders progress and manage the ever-changing business world in which we live. There is no time to learn dated management models that work in other contexts and other companies. We have to be able to make our own discoveries of what works for us personally, us as a team and us a business and we have to find what works that is unique to who we are. Modelling offers the next step in business thinking and one with which we can shift the 'where is the problem so that I can fix it' way of thinking to a 'where is the talent so that I can celebrate and reproduce it' way of being. When did you last truly celebrate the talents that you and others around you have? Recently if not at this very moment I hope.

And my husband? Well not only is he able to pick the best to work with him (he by the way has always been a leading software developer and manages a team of developers for a large telecoms company) he loves the talents that he recognises that they bring to their private lives too. He has one developer who is a top sprinter and whose discipline in training and diet my husband admires. Spence loves life and at the age of 52 he is as much in demand for his skills and approach to work as he ever has been in his life. Success is truly a state of mind and one that brings out the best in people. For me that is what modelling and life are all about.

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Sue Knight is an international consultant. Her work consists of writing, one to one coaching, talks and leadership consultancy. She is author of several books including NLP at Work, NLP Solutions and Leadership from the Heart manual of exercises for leaders. You can up to date news of her work and thoughts on her web page www.SueKnight.co.uk.

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