A Brain Profiling Success Story

In a time of many changes and lots of uncertainty, I thought it would be appropriate to share a success story with you all. As you know, I am a Brain Profiling Practitioner. What we do, is to determine what a person’s thinking preferences are. This we know by determining which part of their brain they prefer thinking with. Someone who prefers thinking with the bottom left part of the brain, thinks completely different from someone who prefers using the top right quadrant of the brain. The one dislikes change, the other loves change. The one hates routine, the other one thrives on routine…etc. It only stands to reason then, that people with certain profiles would excel in certain jobs, whereas others with a different profile may not do as good simply because it falls outside of their personal preference.

Many people at first don’t believe that it works, but we’ve proven over and over again that testing a candidate before placing them in a position, is crucial. We’ve met with resistance from companies, staff recruitments agencies and members of the public alike…until they realised the power of these profiles.

One particular client of mine bought into the idea. We started off by testing everybody working in their company. An interesting phenomenon came to the fore: all the people who were successful in sales, had almost identical profiles. The MD then decided, that before appointing anybody in sales, we had to do a brain profile for them…much to the chagrin of certain recruitment agencies because now they couldn’t “push a sale” – we could actually test whether the candidate fitted the position.

A new sales manager was then appointed who did not believe in the profiles and he went ahead and appointed people as he thought right, without doing their brain profiles. Every single last one of them who did not have the correct profile for the position of sales, either resigned or was asked to leave within their first three months – costing the company almost R100 000 in revenue! Since then, each person is tested before they are appointed to ensure that the right person is placed in the right position. You’re not doing your candidate or the company a favour by “pushing the sale”. It costs the company money and it causes the employee a loss of self-esteem, self-confidence and a feeling of failure.

I may just add, that those appointed who had the right profile, are all successful sales people, making money and enjoying what they do! And remember… a happy workforce is a productive workforce.

Goalsetting

At the beginning of a new year, many people are making loads of New Year's resolutions. Only to find after a month or two, week or two or even a day or two, that those resolutions did not spur them on to do anything specific to reach their goals....simply because it wasn't goals!

Thousands of people have written about goal-setting and the importance of setting goals - so I'll be number 7 001 to write about it, because it can never be over-emphasized. A goal is NOT a goal unless it has been committed to paper, has a deadline and has a plan of action stating what I need to do TODAY to reach my goal at the end of the year.

At the end October 2008, I started running on the road after not having done any road running really for at least four years. I started out by setting a goal that I would like to be able to run 5 km comfortably. I was able to do so by the end of November. Then I set a new goal for 15 December - to be able to run 8 kilometres. Which I did. Then I set a goal for 15 January 2009 - to be able to run 9,5 kilometres in an hour. I did not reach that goal. I only managed to run 9,3 kilometres in an hour. But I did not see it as failure...I asked myself whether I would have been able to run 9,3 kilometres at all if I did not start off by setting a goal? Right now, I am already able to run 12,5 kilometres - something that was almost unthinkable 4 months ago. (Oh yes, and in the process I managed to shed quite a few kilograms as well....! Yay!!)

There is a secret to all this goal-setting stuff though. You have to have a strong enough motivation to inspire you to set a goal, write it down, work out an action plan and then actually GO OUT THERE and start doing - because without any action, any goal is just a pipe dream. What are your personal goals for this year? What are your goals for your business? Your staff?

Remember that having talent is just the start; you need to develop that talent and DO something with it i order for it to mean anything to you or anybody else!

Here's to a FABULOUS, AWESOME AND SURPRISINGLY SUCCESSFUL 2009!!

Using Brain Profiles as a "tool for talking"

Very often in a conflict situation, it becomes apparent that there was a breakdown in communication somewhere along the line...and just as often it is a perpetuating situation. Eventually this can lead to individuals avoiding one another for the fear of more conflict or because they feel that it is impossible to work with the other person. More often than not, it is also a case of "nothing changes, because nothing changes."

In the book "Crucial Conversations", it is made clear that not all conversations are "important" enough to warrant conflict, but when the stakes are high, opinions vary and emotions run high - conflict can happen very easily.

This brings us to the utilisation of brain profiles as a tool for talking. Let me just recap on the term "brain profile" quickly: a brain profile is done by means of testing to determine with which part of a person's brain they prefer thinking. Your thinking preference in turn, determines a whole array of things, such as how you make decisions, how you prefer acting in a relationship, how you prefer acting as a leader, where your creativity lies and also, how you prefer communicating.

For instance, someone who prefers thinking with the top left part of their brain, prefers communicating in an accurate, coherent, realistic way while validating, probing and questioning, but they do not like too much detail. On the other hand you may have someone who prefers thinking with the bottom left quadrant of the brain: while also factually oriented, they prefer very disciplined, cautious and methodical communication and they like lots and lots of detail. The bottom-left-brainer will say for instance, "let's just finish with point 1.33.245 first and then move on to point 1.33.246..." - by which time the other people have either fallen asleep, made excuses to leave the meeting or hurried him to such an extent that he refuses to give any more input. Then we might also have someone with them who prefers using the bottom-right quadrant of their brain and they like kind, sharing, encouraging and sensitive communication. If the whole meeting is conducted in a very factual and methodical way, they will feel left out and that nobody really cares about their opinion. In such a situation, conflict may arise about how people feel and not necessarily about what has been said. If the chairperson of the meeting is aware of the brain profiles of the attendees, he may choose to lead the meeting in a different manner so as to avoid conflict.

If one is aware of the brain profile of a staff member with whom you have to address a difficult issue, it will also be easier since you would know exactly how to approach them in order to get their co-operation.

Keep in mind that up to 90% of a manager's time may be taken up by "people problems" - and a huge chunk of that 90% go towards sorting out conflict and mending communication gaps. In stead of "nothing changes because nothing changes", we can then "change a lot by changing a a little" - just through having insight into someone's brain profile. Let's avoid all the gap-traps and use these "tools for talking" to its maximum benefit.

What makes staff training successful?

There are many answers to the above question – so many that it could become a book. However, a few easy pointers may make it easier to check whether your training program is in fact headed for disaster or not:
1. Do you have a structured program?
If not, chances are that training is provided on and off. For best results, training should be followed up and reinforced.
2. Are your learners ready to learn?
Adults who are not ready to learn will simply not learn. If they are shown how the training will help them to avoid a problem, solve a problem or that it could provide an opportunity for growth (personal or in status) it will increase their readiness by leaps and bounds.
3. Make use of the experience of learners
Incorporating the experience of your learners in the training by means of interactive exercises, enhances the learning experience for everybody.
4. Let them practice
Fear of failure is a very real element to cope with in the adult learning environment. Learners must therefore be given the opportunity to practice their new skills in the safe environment of a training session – where they can make mistakes and be corrected without being humiliated.
May your training during the next few weeks have a positive impact on all the learners involved!

What is a "brain profile"?

The word ‘brain profile’ is the term used for a graph that is compiled after certain tests have been done to indicate what an individual’s thinking preferences are and which quadrant of their brain they prefer using.

For centuries people were intrigued by the working of the brain. After performing a number of autopsies Hippocrates already said in about 400 B.C. that “the brain of man is double”. Many scientists have done research with regards to brain dominance. After extensive research from 1980 onwards, the NBI® were developed by Dr Kobus Neethling under the research guidance of Prof Paul Torrance of the University of Georgia, USA.

A brain profile can not be ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. It is also not used to label someone, but instead to help them understand themselves and others better. It will also help people in managing their relationships, parenting and leadership better and to develop their creativity. Which quadrant of the brain we prefer using also influences the way in which we teach and also how we learn. By doing their brain profiles, learners can be assisted in making subject and career choices.

In the workplace it is also a valuable tool when appointing or promoting staff members, when dealing with conflict and to develop productive, happy employees whose potential are maximized. Since it influences our learning and teaching, brain profiles should always be kept in mind when any type of training is presented, in order to make it interesting for everybody.

In the ‘old days’, one was required to fill in loads of pages but with technology as advanced as it is, brain profile tests can either be done in person or on-line. I think most employers and employees alike will also agree with me that in the workplace of today, you need to use all the help you can get!