NLP At Work : The Difference That Makes the Difference in Business

reach my target cadence once more. When neither of these
strategies works I explore my inner state to find ways in which I
can tolerate a greater level of discomfort to increase my
pedaling power.

This process mirrors the elements of the TOTE. My desired
state is a cadence of 90. By watching the bike computer I TEST
to see that it stays at that rate. If the feedback I am getting
indicates that I have dropped cadence speed, then I OPERATE
by pedaling faster. If that works (the present state matches the
desired state) when I TEST by reading the monitor, then I
temporarily EXIT. If by OPERATING in that way I do not achieve
the desired state, then I carry out another OPERATION by
changing gear and TEST again. The more OPERATIONS I can
carry out, the more likely I am to achieve my desired state and
therefore EXIT the TOTE. And so it is that the person with the
most flexibility in the way they can think and behave is the
person most likely to achieve their outcomes.

Once we understand how this works for ourselves we can use
the same process to coach other people.
The belief that “We have all the resources we ever need” is
key to the TOTE process. The question is: How do we find them?
Suppose that you are about to make an important business
presentation and you fear you will be unable to handle
interaction in the presentation because you are so nervous.

HIGH PERFORMANCE COACHING 357

TRIGGER Present

state

Desired

state Is my

cadence

90?

Yes

EXIT

No

Pedal faster

Change down

a gear

?