Tom Best

The Energy of Leadership

A Brief History of Evolutionary NLP and Practical Applications in the World of Business.
THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW OF TOM BEST BY SLOVENIAN NLP TRAINER
SANDRA BOHINEC GORJAK WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE JUNE 2011
ISSUE OF MARKETING MAGAZINE MM361, A MARKETING AND BUSINESS
ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE IN LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA.
Sandra: The course of your professional life
took you from cultural anthropologist to NLP
trainer and finally to Native American
shamanism. How would you describe the set of
circumstances that led you down this path?
How did you come to encounter the Native
American shamans? Do you continue to maintain relations with them?

Tom Best, an internationally acclaimed

and highly sought after NLP trainer (NLP
Neuro-Linguistic Programming), cultural
anthropologist, communications theoretician
and practitioner. In his research-education
work he focuses on the intersections
between the cultures of the modern Western
world and Native American shamanism,
as well as connections between theory and
practice. In Texas, USA, where he works as
a lecturer and researcher, he founded and
heads the Texas Institute for NLP, conducts
training courses and cooperates with many
international educational and business
corporations.

Actually, I began my exploration of the world of

the shaman many years before my interest in
NLP. My rst real exposure to shamanism was
about 40 years ago when I met an old Taos Pueblo
Indian from New Mexico named Juan Gomez. I
had just participated in my rst Native American
Church ceremony in rural New Mexico. The experience itself was profound a true opening of
the doors of perception. It was an intense night
of drums, rattles, prayer songs and visions. As I
walked out of the tipi at sunrise, I was lost in a
world of confusion and doubt, not quite sure that
what I had experienced during the night was real.
Juan, a very short and very, very old Indian holy
man, walked up to me and held me with his eyes
like a mountain lion staring at a rabbit. He slowly
raised a bony st and rapped me painfully three
times on the chest directly over my heart as he
shouted the words No half way! My eyes rolled
back in my head, the world started to spin and
something changed in my life. I realized that I really had been living half way not really fully
committed to my life and that there was another way to live.

Since that time, along with my wife Bobbi, Ive

studied Hawaiian shamanism or Huna (which
Bobbi introduced me to in 1987), Hopi and Navajo
ceremonialism, some of the shamanic disciplines
from Mexico, and in recent years, Bobbi and I
have worked and studied with shamans from the
high Andes of Peru. The Peruvian experience has
been extremely important in our personal and
professional life. We have been taking groups
down to Peru to work with a remote tribe called
the Qero for the last 16 years. On our most recent
trip last October, we brought together people
from six different countries to experience the
People of Mountains and Stars.
I came to the world of NLP through the doorway
of my interest in aboriginal and primitive cultures. In 1981, I was completing a University degree in cultural anthropology and religious studies
when I rst heard about NLP. I was becoming disillusioned with classic anthropological models,
since they told me very little about the consciousness of traditional peoples of how they really experienced their world. NLP immediately
illuminated the darkness of their inner life. For example, I discovered that the NLP technique of The
New Behavior Generator is structurally equivalent to a Navajo Indian sand painting ceremony.
Ive always been curious about what, specically,
it is that we dene as subjective experience. My
own experience, based on the evidence of my
senses, has led me to conclude that there are
human beings in the world who are having the
subjective experience of communicating with
stars, listening to mountains, calling the wind,
seeing luminous laments of energy and using
those luminous laments of energy to heal others.
In many ways, I think that NLP is a kind of 21st century shamanism. You can travel through time with
timelines, you can become another person with
2nd position shifts, you can explore the inner-regions of the psyche through various NLP techniques. These are also shamanic abilities. Much
like NLP, shamanism is a bridge between the present and the possible human. It, too, allows you

to clean the instrument of the self and enables

you to participate in a realm of higher human
functioning.
As I investigated the structural similarities between NLP and native world views, I began to explore the deep cultural programming of
technological societies. I did this because, having
been in the NLP training community for quite
some time, I had begun to notice a signicant
shift in the world of NLP. Many people were realizing that mere techniques were only a pale foreground to the background of consciousness. NLP
practitioners began to suspect that there was another evolutionary stage in the development of NLP,
and indeed, in themselves as well. They realized
that, as western technological cultures, weve not
only created maps of the territory we have
stepped into and have become lost in those maps.
Sandra: The current state of human civilization, and as a consequence that of the business
sphere could be described as rather chaotic.
The waves of change do not seem to be subsiding. Instead, they appear to be growing
stronger. What is your view on the recent developments in modern society?
Well, of course, one of the most popular folk
metaphors to describe the current period in history is the Chinese ideogram for Conict. Its said
that its made of two separate ideograms, one of
which represents Danger and the other which
represents Opportunity. Personally, I think this
current historical moment is much more than
that. The acceleration of history which technology has forced upon us has diminished our participation in meaningful relationships with
others and the world. Gregory Bateson, a great
American systems thinker and one of the grandfathers of NLP points out that we have created
our current economic, social, political and personal crises by relying on a lethal triangle, composed of these three sides: 1.Technology; 2. The
replacement of natural context by articial context (ie the current ecological crisis); 3. Conscious
planning without unconscious process.

The most serious side of this triangle is conscious planning without unconscious process. In
other words, our technological societies rely almost exclusively on the rational cognitive mind
of the ego without consultation and connection to
the wisdom of the unconscious, the spirit, or
what Bateson called the wisdom of the full circle
of life. As a result, our economic and social structures are dominated by power, dominance, abuse
and short term satisfaction. The good news is
that, like any healing crisis these dire warnings
give us the opportunity to change some of our
basic presuppositions about our business and
personal lives.
Sandra: During unstable conditions, the role of
leaders is particularly important and challenging. When frustration and apathy run loose in
business environments (global crisis, dismissal
of workers, frequent order cancellations, manipulative influence of the media) questions
arise: are leaders able to muster the strength
and energy necessary in order to steer companies through the crisis period and understand
it as an opportunity for development
Leadership is about creating a compelling vision
and motivating people to achieve it. Businesses
that dont have this capability, cant hope to survive in todays turbulent economy. In order to
create these new visions for the 21st century, our
models of business and particularly of leadership must change. A commitment to new forms of
leadership that includes a real appreciation and honouring of others must come into being. Lao Tzu, the
great Chinese philosopher put it this way: The
bad leader is the one who the people dislike. The
good leader the one who the people praise. The
Great leader is the one who leads the people to
say We did it ourselves.
When leaders participate in business organizations
that value the worth of others, then the strength
and energy necessary to steer companies through
crisis is a natural by-product. When conict transforms into cooperation, life force energy spontaneously increases for everyone in the system.

Sandra: How should sales and marketing professionals develop the motivation to hang on?
How to take personal time off and restore depleted energy in the widespread pandemic of
time shortage? Is there any room left for actually believing that business and life are about
to turn for the better? How to ensure that the
thought of better days doesnt remain merely
an idea?
Our professional and personal lives are dynamically connected to energy in its many forms.
From our physical body to our performance in
the workplace to the highest aspirations of our
spirit, the way we use our energy determines the
quality of our lives. At times, in both our professional and personal lives, our energetic ow becomes blocked and we experience physical pain,
emotional distress or mental anguish... and our
lives become dicult, and although there are
various techniques and strategies for reducing
stress in a complicated world, these strategies are
only symptomatic and temporary.
The critical thing to keep in mind is that we are
the ones who created these disfunctional systems
in the rst place. And we, each one of us, are the
only ones who can change these systems. Perhaps
they had an appropriate place in the past, but
with our rapidly shrinking world and the globalization of business, its time to create something
new. Certainly we are creative enough. The question is, are we compassionate enough and do we
have the will to change. Ultimately each individual must make that decision for themselves.
Sandra: There appears to be an increasing demand for socially responsible and innovative
communications approaches. Communication
has a wide range of effects in the business
world, not only on marketing but also on culture and society. How would you rate the social
responsibility of todays managers?
Not only managers, but CEOs and departmental
personnel all have a tremendous social responsibility in todays world. With increasing globaliza-

tion, business is the primary mover and shaper of

global consciousness.
If you look at the symbology over time, its very
interesting. Just look at the evolution of architecture and the city. In the beginning, the campre
was the social focus of the community. As time
passed and religions came to ascendancy, it became the church that was the focal point of life as
evidenced by their central location in most medieval cities. With the growth of humanism and
democracy, the central point in the city became
the governmental buildings. And now, with the
growth and undeniable importance of commerce,
it is the oce tower that dominates the cityscape.
The social responsibility that goes along with this
focus is immense. Fortunately, this social responsibility is ultimately in the hands and hearts of
business men and women and the expression of
those hands and hearts can change.
Sandra: How can managers increase their own
awareness of the complexity of the consequences of their actions?
Self-awareness is the rst step. When a managers learns how to manage the complexity and
challenge within themselves, they naturally use
those skills in dealing with others. Awareness,
and especially self-awareness, strengthens the
enlightened manager. Awareness also helps them
to understanding issues involving ethics and values. It creates the ability of being able to view
most situations from a more integrated, holistic
position.
Sandra: Reading historical facts on the Inca civilization, one comes across information stating
that the already the first Spanish conquistadors discussed the interesting organization of
this ancient civilization. A certain Spanish
conquistador-overseer thus wrote to the king
of Spain: We had found this land in a state
where there were no thieves, no lazy or evil
men. Everything was in good order and balanced with great wisdom, and the leaders were

well respected. What about our society, full of

inequality, exclusion and exploitation? How
can we rediscover some of that wisdom and
harmony? How can leaders regain the respect
of their followers?
John Grinder, the original developer on NLP, in
his book Turtles All The Way Down, put it this
way When we propose looking to intact traditional cultures for the kind of balance and aesthetics which will guide us in creating personal
culture, we are implicitly making a claim,
namely, that there is a wisdom to the organization of traditional cultures which does not exist
in our society.
The most signicant difference between the native world and the world of technological societies is the difference in their relationship to the
environment. Much of NLP has arisen from
strategies designed to change our mental maps
of reality and has been designed for application
in an environment from which we are largely disconnected. The operational presupposition here
is that humans are separate from nature. The environment, whether its a tropical beach, your
past history, your boss, your relationships or the
voices in your head, is seen as something to be
mastered and manipulated as you climb the ladder toward success, enlightenment, power or
just a better life.
The key principle in the shamanic world, on the
other hand, is that the environments has spirit.
Everything has a spirit. The water has a spirit,
the mountain has a spirit, the stars have spirits,
the wind, the father sun, the mother moon, all
have spirits. And, do you know, they are families
just like us! And they all have a participation in
our real world. We are all implicated in reality.
So, in search of this wisdom which our technological culture lacks, it becomes obvious that one
important place to look is toward cultures that
experience balance and aesthetics as qualities
arising within an environment which is sacred
and in which all things are connected.

As we evolve, and the world around us seems to

grow smaller and often more threatening, our
need for an understanding of ourselves as global
citizens increases. This requires an appreciation
for the uniqueness around us. It requires that we
be able to see beyond the mask of isolated ego and
celebrate the rich cultural diversity the world offers. On our beautiful planet, there are people
who talk to stones, who listen to the rain, who
learn from the trees, who know the secrets of the
waterfalls and the waves... and they are still alive,
still with us. Their unique species of consciousness is tremendous resource on our planet.

opportunity to help make whole those with

whom they come in contact. In his book The Servant as Leader, Robert Greenleaf writes: There
is something subtle communicated to one who is
being served and led if implicit in the compact
between servant-leader and led is the understanding that the search for wholeness is something they share.

Shamanic consciousness is a deliberate pattern

of thought and behaviour designed to focus the
mind, integrate the body and spirit, bypass the
analytical and security lters of the ego, and accomplish a specic healing or helping purpose.
Shamanic consciousness permits you to live in a
world in which everything is alive, everything
has a spirit and everything has meaning and
that is an experience that brings richness to your
life as a human being. The integration of this
world-view into our own lives validates our current reality in a unique way by planting ancient
seeds in a modern garden in order to allow a new
tree of consciousness to ower there.
Ultimately, our leaders can learn the same lesson
that the ancient Inca leaders knew so well you
gain the respect of those you lead by respecting
them, then and only then are you truly worthy of
their respect.

For me, this question is best answered by the following quote from an aboriginal Australian
woman that expresses the true essence of business and being human If you have come to
help me, you are wasting your time. But if you
have come because your liberation is bound up
with mine, then let us work together.

Sandra: How should the leader, using the energy of the dialogue, shape the values and business ethics that drive the reputation of the
company? Why is personal energy and strength
of character so important when it comes to
leadership?
Personal energy and strength of character has
within it the potential for healing ones self and,
thereby, others. Many people have broken spirits
and have suffered from a variety of emotional
hurts. Although this is part of being human, enlightened leaders recognize that they also have an

Sandra: Change is an important factor of business life. It can be positive or negative. How can
its prefix be influenced by the leader and his
leadership energy?

2011 Tom Best