Lots of people are unemployed. Statistics for most of this year (2010) has put employment in the United States at about 10 percent. That’s millions and millions of people. And if we include those who have given up looking, there are millions more which probably makes the actual unemployment rate closer to 14% or more. And in Spain and other places, unemployment statistics are even much higher.
During the recession in the early 1980s when there was also a high unemployment rate, I was unemployed from time to time, but kept picking up various jobs, usually minimum wage and typically hard physical work. One temporary job I took in 1983 was as a typist for Kelly Girl (now Kelly Services). (I was also paid the highest rate of all the Kelly Girls because I was the fastest “girl” on the keyboard!) Back in the early 1980s I didn’t know NLP, but I did get a mischievous enjoyment out of being sent to some business as a “Kelly Girl” and watch the facial expressions on people as I walked in!
Today, as a Neuro-Semanticist, if I were unemployed, I would be unemployed for a day or two at best. That’s because with the language skills of NLP, the coaching skills of Neuro-Semantics, along with the framing skills, the relational and social skills, and the negotiating skills, I would head right to McDonalds or Burger King or any fast food place, or any other place that needs front-line people, and be hired on by the afternoon. My strategy would be as follows.
I would offer to work for one week without any pay to prove myself and I would position the hiring as only if I am worth at least twice and probably three and four times as much as you pay for entry. I would propose to the owner or the person hiring that I would make you look great by meeting every number that you as a supervisor or manager are measured by. I would work harder than anyone on staff, I would set the pace for adding massive value to every customer, whether an internal or external customer.
If I were unemployed today I would then make it my purpose to enable every person I’d work with to enjoy their job, awaken to their possibilities, and become more effective. I would use my coaching skills to create a connection through listening and supporting them. I would be their personal coach at work. I would access the very best states for serving customers and meet not only their expectations, but also their hopes and desires as best as I could, and if at all possible, their unknown needs and desires (I’d be thinking of their hierarchy of needs and meeting them all the way up if possible).
If I were unemployed today I’d be accessing my best states to make those overseeing my work informed about what’s happening at the ground level, giving them ideas for improving morale, productivity, and motivation — letting them take all the credit for the ideas. It would be my conspiracy for getting them some raises and recognition, and only they and me would know about it.
If I were unemployed today I’d be using my framing skills with fellow employees, managers, and customers to enable all to create the very best meanings in that work environment —meanings that would enrich their everyday experience. I’d use my induction skills to invite all to access ever increasingly rich resourceful states and do so subtly so that they wouldn’t recognize what I was doing, but only have good feelings when they walk away from our brief encounters. And that would condition them unconsciously to keep coming around to get some more!
If I were unemployed today I would think in terms of the overall business success, the leadership, the management, and the culture, and subtly plant ideas with people at all levels about new possibilities and again, let them take on the ideas as if it were their own so that they would begin to create cultural change from the ground up. I would do an assessment of the level of engagement in people at the work and also as assessment of their basic and higher needs (using the Self-Actualization Assessment Scale) and focus on enabling each person’s coping and mastery skills.
But sadly I’m not unemployed. Actually, I am also not employed at all! I just work for myself and play around with the things that I’m interested which just so happens to provide the financial resources that I need to be financially stable and independent. So I don’t even need a job, I have a mission. But if you need a job, and if you are unemployed, and you have some NLP and/or Neuro-Semantic skills … then perhaps you’d like to adopt this strategy for your own. If not, I’d encourage you by all means to learn the skills of NLP and Neuro-Semantics. They’ll change your life as they did mine and millions of others around the planet.
To your ever-increasing Resourcefulness for handling the Challenges of Everyday Life with power and joy!
L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.
(ISNS) International Society of Neuro-Semantics
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