Welcome ... I grow your people, who grow your business, who grow your profits.

We hear with our ears and we listen with our imagination – The magical world of metaphor…

As I type this, I am feeling the mysterious energies and deep purpose that my own metaphor unfailingly brings. This makes me think of you all – you will see why when I explain my metaphor below.

My intention now is to invite you, or indeed for some of you reading this to remind you, of the personal power your metaphor can give. For those of you following Phase 2 of my Be Memorable Not Forgettable in Business Programme the concept of personal metaphor will resonate powerfully with you. The world of metaphor is one that excites and intrigues me. It allows companies and individuals to generate ideas and turn these into actions and truly releases resources and options from a different ‘Map of the World.’

It has the power to change companies’ directions and people’s lives. Get ready to do some powerful thinking. The best way to introduce the concept is through metaphor itself so here is my own:

I’m a Gardener – that’s been my metaphor for 30 years. It permeates everything I do. It’s written on my business card:

I grow your people – Who grow your business – Who grow your profits

When I say “ I’m a gardener” it’s as if part of me is listening and spreading my imagination into a world where people become my  plants to nurture, training rooms become greenhouses and gardens, my books, training aids, CD’s and props become my gardening tools. Yellow post-it notes and scribbles on virgin pages transform my precious books into well used soil- stained gardening magazines and growing resources.

Difficult behaviours become cacti plants to be handled carefully with protective gloves. Unhelpful or even self-destructive behaviours may warrant the skilful and gentle use of secateurs. Incidentally, another metaphor which looks at destructive and difficult behaviours can be found in an earlier blog “Never wrestle with a pig”.

The climate in each of my sessions becomes one where people can be nurtured and where they can grow. Good people managers know this.

I’m occasionally also asked to work with Departments/Teams to arrive at their own shared metaphor. Why? Because by identifying a metaphor, we  tap into little used resources to maximise potential within businesses and their people. So what does a metaphor do?

A metaphor:

• Is a statement of identity.
• Carries embedded messages reflecting core values.
• Infers qualities, attributes and behaviours.
• Bypasses the conscious mind, freeing up untapped potential.
• Gives directions to the unconscious mind.
• Helps us focus positively on events in the light of the chosen metaphor.
• Generates helpful emotions and perceptions.
• Can influence people very powerfully.
• Is a tool for positive and creative change, both personal and organisational.
• Allows Right Brain thinking and unlocks the power of imagination.

 

One of my roles over the past 30 years in business is as a Trainer and Coach. Those of you directly supporting staff  and indeed developing relationships with clients will identify with this challenge. Sometimes we struggle in this role to get a ‘handle’ on what our member of staff or client is trying to explain to us. For me the identification of someone’s metaphor is like taking their temperature. It tells me whether they are helped or disabled by it and whether it is an optimistic Life Position or not.  Responding with the language of your client’s metaphor can get Rapport instantaneously.

We all use metaphors without realising it .We often use them to generate emotions and understanding of what we are trying to say or achieve. It is easier to explain with an image than with words alone. If we can learn to use metaphors consciously as a tool, this is a powerful way to allow you and the individual to ‘listen with imagination’. You will develop better and speedier Rapport as the skilful use of their metaphor can reveal profound meaning at an unspoken level. And we all know what Rapport brings – increased business.

My own ‘learning and development engine’ actually contains what I call in my sessions 3 Golden Keys:

• My Metaphor,
• My Personal Mission Statement  (I sometimes call Direction Statement ),
• My Essence Values

 

These 3 Golden Keys together these form my ‘Changeless Core.’

Knowing my metaphor which hasn’t changed for many years has been of immeasurable help. If it has given me fulfillment and a sense of purpose and direction, then I would like you, my loyal blog readers to have the opportunity and choice, as you read this blog, to benefit in the same way. Let me show you how powerful it is for someone to be able to identify with their own metaphor. Prepare to enter the magical world of your Right Brain………………………..

Continue thinking as you read the following real case study; ask yourself what your metaphor could be? So – let’s follow the journey of a manager on one of my programmes through her evolving application of her personal metaphor as she underwent a huge personal change which was impacting her work performance.

In this face to face consultation she drew on paper, the form of a lonely Rapunzel type figure, and talked as she did so, “I’m trapped in a tower.” She explained what that meant to her. I asked her to describe the tower room to me and how it felt. She described a narrow window to me. I asked her what she felt as she looked through. “A feeling of being cornered, with no options, no future and confusion”.  I asked what she could see through the window. She said she saw an eagle, soaring through the skies and began to draw. Not a tiny eagle but one that filled the space. We laughed as I invited her to imagine sitting on its back and I added “now that you’re flying on your own!”  It was here that I gently planted a presupposition that was to prove extremely powerful sooner than I thought.

“ Imagine you are that eagle” I suggested,  “ what qualities does that eagle have that you could use ?” She answered “Serenity, dignity, freedom, choice and the ability to soar above or fly down close.  Several consultations late, her problems arose again. I reminded her gently about the eagle and the tower and the picture she had drawn. I asked her to describe the picture to me. She added things she hadn’t mentioned before and went on to say ” There’s a mountain in the background. Having vision means that I can look at the landscape from high up – I can go even higher into the mountain and not just the physical world. I have a spiritual dimension. I can rise well above. It’s amazing. I feel safe. ”

A while later she rang me to say that she had been smiling to herself as she often thought of her metaphor. She even had pictures of eagles on her fridge door, on the bathroom cabinet and around the house!  Pictures of eagles had become for her a powerful visual anchor. Seeing that image released enormous personal power and resources.

The wonderful thing is she said to me “My wings are so huge there’s no way I can fly back into that tower!”

Some of you may be thinking how could you use it at company level? Several years ago I was asked to do some sessions in a factory plant that was to be closed down with one more year to go. There were 3 options for all staff, voluntary redundancy, relocation or applying for jobs in a different company. Motivation was at rock bottom. After discussions with senior management I suggested and they agreed to introduce a metaphor for that last year. No – we didn’t choose the Titanic! If you’re smiling you are in the world of metaphor. We chose instead to call the plant HMS Runcorn. We all determined to give our ship a memorable ’last voyage.’ Everyone had a role to play in this ‘last voyage’; posters, events and activities were devised and morale improved and the situation was reframed to a much more positive experience.

So whatever role you have in business knowing your own metaphor or indeed finding one for your company will be another tool to enable you to keep on track, make decisions and give a powerful sense of purpose.

Whether your company is a ‘Sleeping Giant’ or the ‘David’ in David and Goliath always remember metaphor is a powerful tool for organisational change and focus. Interestingly, using this latter metaphor actually secured me a very large training contract when I was competing against major blue chip training companies.

‘We hear with our ears and we listen with our imagination’ – take care with your choice and have lots of fun developing your metaphors.

If you want to know more about the programmes I can deliver, then please take a look here at my Public Programmes and also some Bespoke Programmes I have designed.

Warmest wishes and thank you for reading my blog – oh yes and imagining!

Kate

PS. This is me after I’m a star in the sky -  still gardening!

Tags: Accelerated learning, Brain Friendly learning, Business development, Business language, Emotional Intelligence, Interpersonal Skills, Intrapersonal Skills, Management development, Management training, Mentoring, NLP, People development, People skills, power of metaphor, Problem solving, Psychological Games, Transactional Analysis

2 Comments

1. Rod says:

   November 10, 2011 at 11:26 am

   A fascinating blog kate.
   Which made me think,how would I describe myself through metaphor, hmmm.
   Would I be a wounded, as in my youth, hurt, frightened, angry and aggresive.Then came along kate and endolphins. Now being me with a great passion for wildlife,I see dolphins as free spirited creatures that travel the seven seas inquisitive and supportive of the pod. They seem to have an ablity to come to the aid of, not just dolphins, but that of other species and guide them to safety during a storm.They have the ability to rise above the waves and take a breath of fresh air and survey the world before them.So as a youth perhaps I needed to experience the hurt that is sometims thrown at us in order to grow and realise my metaphor.peace, calm and reflection can guide us to achievable goals. stress anger and frustration will only lead us into turmoil.Althiugh a very free spirited person I can and do work with the the pod for a brighter future. Endolphins peace within ones self.

   Reply
2. Bette England says:

   November 9, 2011 at 3:28 pm

   Thanks Kate – now I feel part of the gang!

   Reply

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