Once upon a time, this one got into my long list of books to read: “Figuring Out People: Reading People Using Meta-Programs”

The opportunity to read it came on a long weekend, so I read it. There is wisdom, but there is one catch here. The techniques described in the book require first-hand knowledge of NLP techniques. Otherwise, it may turn out like teaching an adult to ride a bicycle – he/she sits down, falls, gets a bump in the most painful place, and stops any further attempts to learn, forever. However, if we assume that this book is a tool necessary to improve your effectiveness in communications, but not self-sufficient and never a silver bullet – then yes, why not try it!

And there is something to try here. At a minimum, this book will help you look at yourself from the outside, “feel” your thinking mechanisms and touch those parts of the ego that we are usually not aware of, but which never cease to be the powerful rulers of our destinies, hidden within ourselves. Moreover, look not at what you are (because there is no such form, the verb “is” does not exist!), but at how you behave in a given situation.

For example, I “saw” myself composed of the following metaprograms (the list listed below is compiled in the format “metaprogram number-type”): 1-deduction, 2-identity sorting, 3-auditory, 4-downtime, 5-sensor, 6- continuum, 7-best-case scenario, 8-permeable, 9-interference-resistant, etc. A boring list, which, however, makes me think that something here, perhaps, could use some tweaking. Need to do it in your spare time!🙂

Having gone through the first stage and sorted yourself out, you can find other practical applications of the advice in this book:

• Assessing a person’s professional suitability based on his meta-programs. The algorithm is extremely simple – we look at the position, analyze the requirements for it from the point of view of the meta-programs that are essential for it, then compare this list with the candidate’s meta-programs, and draw the appropriate conclusions. It will work great for accountants, security guards, cashiers, and drivers. For developers, it will definitely help to identify promising and highly creative candidates, the main thing is to simply start using this technique, being aware of the consequences of its use on the organizational structure of the enterprise and the need to first convince management of its effectiveness.
• Building effective communication based on the meta-programs of the interlocutor. Everything here is far from so simple, and most likely nothing will work out without additional training. Otherwise, perhaps it is better to leave the sleeping dragon asleep.
• Methodology of constructive confrontation. How to convey a negative message to a subordinate without destroying his inner world and without causing rejection – alas, life usually teaches this, accompanied by a chain of demotivated and resigned employees. This book will probably come in very handy here.

What do you think, for example, of the idea of ​​optimizing the seating arrangement of employees according to their noise immunity? Some require a secluded corner to create, while others can sit quietly near the aisle and not be distracted by extraneous stimuli. What can you say about distributing tasks on the project so that “optimists” write new features, and “pessimists” develop unit tests? Could the appointment of a “helpless” (the opposite of “energetic”) manager to a project, moreover, with an active type of somatic reaction, end in something good? Is it good to have many employees with increased responsibility for a project? What if they are also independent (non-team) players?

In general, as Leo Tolstoy is said to have said, “I read… thought a lot.” Moreover, it turns out that you can read this book without even being privy to the details of the magic of NLP. However, there is no magic, there is only knowledge. Read and may the force be with you!!🙂