‘Carve value-based national agenda to rally Ghanaians’

A certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioner, Mr Patrick Otieku-Boadu, has called for a national agenda capable of rallying Ghanaians, particularly political leaders, around values and identities to stem the tide of corruption in the country.

That, he said, would also help to change the fortunes of citizens.

NLP are principles that combine thinking, communication, behavioural and emotional patterns for better and more successful ways of relating and dealing with people at work, home and in society.

Mr Otieku-Boadu said a change in the behaviour of corrupt public officials was not possible by enforcing laws, but could be achieved only if triggered by the right values and identities.

He was speaking to the Daily Graphic last Saturday after a day’s Super Class for managers on emotional management.
Spearhead Consult, a training and mentoring firm, organised the intensive workshop.

Mr Otieku-Boadu attributed corruption in the public service to the lack of a value system and the loss of identities, which had resulted in officials having no compelling orientation to do right.

Training

The training brought together about 30 managers from public and private institutions, including financial organisations, leaders of faith-based organisations and teachers.

Tailored to equip participants with the basics of behavioural and emotional management to enable them to relate positively with staff for peak performance, the training covered multi-sensory exercises, the sharing of techniques and the analysis of emotional and compulsive behaviours for the right understanding and feedback.

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Change

Mr Otieku-Boadu reminded the participants that, “Change is a door which can be opened only from within.”

Thus, change could not be prescribed or forced, he emphasised, but said it could be triggered by understanding a situation rightly and tackling it with emotional stability.

He said most often, bosses, in reprimanding subordinates for bad behaviours, attacked their identities.

Attacking a person’s identity, he reminded participants, was often taken as an insult and resulted in the person retaliating by repeating the wrong behaviour, stressing that: “In dealing with people, separate their behaviour from their identity.”

Tools

Participants were also taken through techniques to help relieve them of some work-related stress, which included Progressive Thinking Journey Tool, which helped people to think through issues strategically for clarity and positive actions.

Also shared was the Time Line Therapy, another technique that helped individuals to deal with painful emotions of the past.

Participants were presented with certificates of participation after the coaching exercise.

Some participants interviewed after the training said they had received basic tools for better interpersonal relationships at work to improve performance and productivity.