Einstein said: "You cannot solve a problem at the same level of thinking that created the problem." In other words, to solve the problem, you need an upgrade in thinking, otherwise the problem will be difficult to solve.
The person who becomes a great person is better at the level of thinking.
NLP thinking logical level
NLP thinking logical level is also called the understanding level.
In NLP, environment, behavior, and abilities are called the lower three levels, which are the levels that we can be aware of, while beliefs/values, identity, and spirit (system) are called the upper three levels, which are the levels in our daily lives. It takes careful analysis in life to be discovered. Usually low-level problems can be easily found at a higher level. However, if you look for methods at the same level or at a lower level, the results are often unsatisfactory or consume too much energy.
Chinese name
NLP thinking logical level
Understanding level 1
Spiritual level
Understanding level 2
Identity Level
Understanding Level 3
Belief System
Understanding Level 4
Competence Level
Understanding Level 5
Behavioral Level
Understanding Level 6
Environmental Level
Foreword
Every We all give some meaning to anything that has something to do with our lives. There are so many things in life, and we are constantly dealing with them. We often become passive and confused because of our busyness. We don’t know what should be done and what is important; we can’t tell which things are short-lived and insignificant, and which ones are important to life. far-reaching impact.
In fact, the meaning of things can be classified and the mutual comparison standards can be sorted out. If we can devote most of our time and energy to matters of far-reaching significance, the cumulative effects will naturally push life to a more ideal high line.
The content of this chapter is one of the NLP projects that has the most profound impact on life. Please enjoy.
Introduction to levels of understanding
Levels of understanding were originally called Neuro-Logical Levels. They were first developed by Gregory Bateson and later developed by Robert Dilts. ), launched in 1991. The level of understanding (see Figure 6-1) is a set of patterns because it can be used to explain many things that occur in society. The level of understanding is a very practical concept that allows us to understand the mentee's problems in counseling work, making it easier to help him find solutions to the problems. There is also a set of techniques in NLP called the "understanding level penetration method", which helps users understand the relationship between breaking through confusion and connect with the deep power of their subconscious mind, making life planning more effective, so it is also a technique.
1. Spirit 2. Identity 3. Beliefs, values ??4. Ability 5. Behavior 6. Environment
Our brain is divided into six levels when processing anything , they are:
1. Spirit
My relationship with other people and things in the world. When a person talks about the meaning of his life or a company talks about its contribution to society, it involves the "spiritual" level.
2. Identity
How a person or a company sees itself (who am I?). Positioning yourself, or describing your position, involves the meaning of identity. The meaning of inheriting the above (spiritual) is "in what capacity you are prepared to realize the meaning of life."
3. Beliefs and values ??
In order to match the above-mentioned identity, what kind of beliefs and values ??do I need to have? Everyone living in this world must have an unconscious identity and a set of related beliefs and values. They determine our attitude in everything we do, but they don't often emerge consciously.
(Generally speaking, only when reflecting on the entire life or learning NLP, a person will think of the issues of identity and beliefs/values) Hold a set of beliefs and values ??to deal with everything in daily life. Most of the beliefs and value level questions that arise are:
— Why do (or not do)?
— What (important) meaning does it have?
— Should it be What kind?
— What are the benefits to me?
4. Ability
This level involves how a person understands the choices he has (whether he has choice, or "I have to do this?"). Every choice is an ability, so the more choices you have, the greater your ability is. The abilities we generally talk about superficially refer to skills: knowing English, being able to use a computer, and using a certain technique to do something. But if you think about it carefully, they are actually more choices. Emotions represent abilities and are also included in this level.
5. Behavior
This level refers to "What to do?" actual operation.
6. Environment
"Environment" includes all external conditions outside the body, including all kinds of people, things, things, time, place, money and equipment in the world. Belongs to "environment".
Someone explained these 6 levels in simple words:
Spirit: Who else? (Who else?)
Identity: Who am I? (Who am I?)
Beliefs and values: Why? (Why?)
Ability: How? (How to do it?)
Behavior: What? (What to do)
Environment: Where and When? (When, where?)
From the environment to the lower three levels of ability, we are consciously exposed to it every day, so it is We rarely think about the higher three layers, led by consciousness, from beliefs, values ??to spirituality, in our daily life, so we often ignore it. In fact, everything we do in life is dominated by these three layers. . They are controlled by the subconscious mind and are often difficult to explain clearly, but they are the determining factors of happiness and joy in life. It can be said that the lower levels from environment to ability are nothing more than projections of the upper three levels or displays in real life.
The highest (or deepest) realm of an individual is identity, so generally only the lower 5 levels of understanding are used. The lower the level of the problem, the easier it is to solve. Most of the problems in daily life are at the level of environment and behavior. When the problem is at the level of belief or identity, it is more difficult to solve it. Generally speaking, a low-level problem can be easily solved at a higher level. On the other hand, it is difficult to use a lower-level solution to a high-level problem to be effective.
If a person can do anything consistently and coherently at all six levels, he will be consistent physically and mentally and go all out to do it, which will be both happy and effective. On the contrary, if things are not successful and there is pressure or emotion, there must be disharmony in the 6th level.
The level of understanding allows us to simply recognize the cause behind a problem or trouble, and therefore deal with it more quickly with a "root cause" attitude. If people who study NLP only worry about behavior or ability, their achievements will not be very high. All NLP masters must adhere to beliefs/values ??and identities, and even at the spiritual level, and have extraordinary mastery and experience.
This also explains why the true meaning of NLP is not in its techniques, but in changing people's mentality. Techniques only change behavior or add options, while mentality is the level of beliefs, values ??or identity, or even spirituality.
The concept of "three wins" is the simplest realization of the spiritual level. The seven words "I am good, you are good, the world is good" affirm the relationship between me and the world and the positive effects in this regard.
Identity, beliefs, and values ??have such a profound impact on a person. I will discuss it in more depth with you in the next two chapters.
Here, let us focus on the mastery and application of the entire "levels of understanding" concept.
Realistic Examples
The following are several real-life examples to explain the meaning and application of levels of understanding. First, let’s restate the meaning of the first level:
Spirit: my relationship with people and things in the world.
Identity: Who am I? What kind of person am I?
Beliefs and values: How should things be? What is important and meaningful? What can be gained or lost?
Ability: What other possibilities are there? How can it be done? What special abilities do you have?
Behavior: What is the process? Content of the matter? How you did it every day and last time?
Environment: other people, what, what, when, and where?
The following examples are based on the words of the parties concerned to analyze which level they belong to. Please start at the environmental level, because conversations in real life often start from this level. Every high-level word that appears overshadows the lower-level meaning. You can also try to solve only the lower-level problems while reading, and then see if the higher level suddenly makes the lower-level solutions meaningless.
Example (1) A couple is discussing the child’s failure in silent reading
Spirit
The child’s life (how to live in this world)
Identity
1. He is just stupid!
2. He was born useless!
3. He is a disgraceful person!
Belief, value
1. As long as he is willing to go to school every day!
2. My money will last a lifetime, and it doesn't matter whether he graduates or not.
Ability
1. The child has never learned English pinyin!
2. The child is not happy going to school!
Behavior
1. That school wasn't good enough.
2. He didn't review his textbooks.
Environment
1. That school wasn't good enough.
2. I have long said that those teachers are terrible!
Example (2) Two senior company officials are criticizing a subordinate’s report
Spirit
His dedication to the company
Identity
1. I don’t think he’s made to be a general manager!
2. He is not a positive person.
Belief, value
1. He did his best.
2. He has many years of service and is an honest and reliable clerk.
3. He has reached his limit!
Ability
1. He can come and ask me first!
2. He only did half of the "inventory flow" analysis.
Behavior
1. There was no "inventory flow" analysis in his report.
2. He only did half of the "inventory flow" analysis.
Environment
1. Not giving him enough time.
2. The information in the warehouse is incomplete.
Example (3) A person with a strong sense of inferiority complained about himself
Mentality
This is a dangerous and helpless world.
Identity
1. I'm inferior in every way!
2. I've known since I was little that I'm weak.
3. I am worse than others!
Belief, value
1. It’s normal to lose to them!
2. There is no use studying anymore.
Ability
1. I can't think of any other way.
2. I don't understand anything!
Behavior
1. I hide in the company every day.
2. I didn't speak during the meeting.
Environment
1. None of my colleagues care about me.
2. Hong Kong is not suitable for me to live in.
Example (3) What a housewife said to a marriage counselor
Spirit
I long for a harmonious family and a happy life.
Identity
1. We are made for each other.
2. I am a very principled person, and he is just the opposite.
3. He is very selfish!
Beliefs, values
1. For the sake of our children, we must continue.
2. This marriage has no meaning anymore.
Ability
1. I can leave home and have considered finding a boyfriend.
2. I can't communicate with him.
Behavior
1. We can't speak more than three sentences a day.
2. I get off work so late every day and am exhausted when I get home.
Environment
1. This job added to the problems between us.
2. He has a girlfriend outside.
Different levels have different concerns and coping modes.
1. Environmental level
People whose thinking mode is at the environmental level focus on the external environment and supporting conditions, which is similar to "external attribution" in psychology. They believe that the cause of the problem is It's someone else's fault or the environment is not good.
For example, business is not doing well because the competition is too fierce, and I did not get promoted because the leader is partial, etc. Its main coping mode is "complaining".
2. Behavioral level
People whose thinking mode is at the behavioral level focus on their own behavior. They believe that problems arise because they have insufficient action. Their main coping mode is “Action, action, action.”
For example, if the salary is low, work more overtime and earn more overtime pay.
3. Ability level
People whose thinking mode is at the ability level focus on improving their abilities. They believe that problems arise because they are not capable enough, and their main coping mode is "learning" , study, and study again.”
For example, if the work is not done well because of insufficient ability, focus on improving one's ability.
4. Belief/value level
People at this level of thinking focus on what is important to them, what they want, and their main responses The pattern is "do the right thing."
5. Identity level
People with a thinking mode at this level focus on "who am I and what kind of person do I want to be", and their main coping mode is " I make certain choices and actions because of who I am as a person.”
6. Vision level
People whose thinking mode is at the vision level focus on "What is my relationship with the world? How can I change the world?"
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Its main coping mode is "How to change the world and make it better?".
Only a very few people in this world can reach the vision level, because they are thinking about their relationship with this world. Typical figures include:
Steve Jobs "lives to change the world", Musk "I very much hope that mankind will have a bright future", Mother Teresa "dedicate the best you have to the world, It may never be enough, but no matter what, you still have to give your best.”
For the same person, thinking will switch between different levels.
The relationship between the six levels of logical thinking
The upper three levels determine the lower three levels. The relationship between the upper three levels and the lower three levels is like an object and its shadow. If you change the object, the shadow will inevitably change.
The confusion of many people or the confusion of many companies is that they focus too much on the completion of the lower three layers, but rarely stop to think deeply about the upper three layers. But in fact, both people and companies are led by the upper three layers.
Low-level problems are easy to solve with high-level thinking, but high-level problems are difficult to solve with low-level thinking.
Identity level can solve the problem of ability level, but not the other way around. For example, Steve Jobs's famous saying is that he lives to change the world. Based on his positioning of his own identity, he will continue to innovate and exercise his ability to innovate.
The lower the level, the easier it is to change, and the higher the level, the harder it is to change.
Management has an iceberg model. The top of the iceberg is knowledge, skills and abilities; the bottom is self-image, values, driving force and other aspects. In the logical hierarchy, the lower three levels belong to the part above the iceberg and are easy to change; while the upper three levels belong to the part below the iceberg and are difficult to change.
Because the upper three levels are more affected by genes, personality traits, and early experiences. Just like the environment is easy to change, a person's values ????are difficult to change due to their strong stability.
It doesn’t matter if there are problems at low levels, high levels are the key. Many people who have been to Alibaba feel that working in Alibaba is like taking a shot. There seems to be no mechanism or process within Alibaba. Employees call it "vibrant chaos."
Why did Alibaba remain in chaos but not collapse? The reason is that Alibaba focuses on the clarity of the upper three levels.
From the first day of its establishment, Alibaba has established its mission of "making it easy to do business in the world." In 2004, Alibaba set the vision of "becoming a company that lasts for 102 years" and formally formed the values ??and culture of "Six Meridians": customers first, teamwork, embracing change, integrity, passion, and dedication. .
In 2019, on the occasion of Alibaba’s 20th anniversary, it will face new historical opportunities and enter a new stage of development. From "Six Meridians Excalibur" to "New Six Meridians Excalibur" is because mission, vision, and values ??are Alibaba's DNA.
Of course, many companies have their own vision, mission and values, but few can implement them. Alibaba does what it says, for example:
When interviewing new employees, there will be senior Alibaba employees who form "smell officers". This "smell officer" is different from the structured interview. It is mainly about chatting. Work, family, so that the "smell officer" can feel whether the interviewee has the same smell as the organization. This is to examine whether the values ??match or not.
Jack Ma also said: "All major decisions in Alibaba's history have nothing to do with money, but everything to do with values. It may be rare to find such a company in the world that spends so much time on values. Discussion.
"In the past twenty years, Ali has been different because of its value. Our most precious thing is that it allows us to persevere in times of difficulty and allows us to dare to persevere in times of great pressure. It's values.
"In the next twenty years, Alibaba should and must insist on our values ??being different."
On the other hand, many companies have strict systems and processes, but because they are on the third level lack of clarity and fall into confusion and confusion.
How to improve your thinking level?
1. The Golden Circle Rule
The Golden Circle Rule was proposed by marketing expert Simon Sinek. The core is to ask questions about everything from the inside out, rather than peeling the onion. From the outside in.
By first asking "why", we can see through the essence and reasons of things; by "how to do it", we can build a logical system for solving things and find the channels for implementation; and finally by "what to do", we can build a complicated and complex solution. Business branch system.
For individuals, it is also necessary to first understand the cause and purpose of something, and then think about the course of action and specific implementation.
2. Questioning and thinking on the upper three levels
Stephen Covey proposed the principle of "begin with the end in mind" in "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", that is, Said: You must have the "end" in your heart before you know how to "begin".
He believes that everything needs to be created twice, first through the first creation based on the mind, and secondly through practical actions for the second creation.
For example, to build a building, you need to go through the first creation in the brain - design drawings, and then the second construction - to build the building. The first creation is the "end", and the second creation is the "beginning". This is to start with the end.
As an individual, the "end" is how you want others to see you when you leave this world, that is, thinking about your vision, identity, and values;
For organizations Let's take a look at Drucker's classic three questions: "What is our business? What will our business be? What should our business be?".
3. Incorporate the time dimension
In coaching technology, there is a timeline tool that helps people change their perspective and look at something in a long-term perspective. The perspective may be completely different.
What is important now may have a completely different understanding from the perspective of many years later. Just like when a person passes away, no one will think that power and money are important.
Consideration of time helps to improve the level of thinking.
The application of logical thinking levels in management
1. Department communication and collaboration
In large organizations, department coordination is a difficult problem, and different departments compete for rigidity. resources, so pushback and wrangling between departments are common.
If department communication focuses on the lower three levels, it will be difficult to unify and coordinate due to different job responsibilities and tasks; if it focuses on the upper three levels and prompts everyone to pay attention to the goals of the organization, opinions may be reached quickly. Make everyone's efforts go to one place.
2. Employee management
Any leader may have heard complaints from employees, such as insufficient resources, unreasonable company performance appraisals, etc. As a leader, you must be good at upgrading your employees.
If employees only stay at the environmental level, leaders can move them to the behavioral level.
For example, employees said: It is difficult to achieve performance because the company does not provide corresponding policies.
Leaders can ask: Under the current conditions, what can you do to make the goal possible?
Employees stay at the behavioral level: there is too much work to do.
Leaders can ask: What abilities do you think can be improved to make your job easier?
By upgrading employees’ cognition, they open up their horizons and limitations and promote the realization of goals.
3. Praise and criticism in the workplace
In the workplace, generally speaking, there is more criticism than praise, and criticism is often made at the upper three levels, but criticism from the upper three levels will affect Employees' self-esteem and self-efficacy are not conducive to employee growth.
A more scientific approach is to focus praise on the upper three levels and criticism on the lower three levels. "You are such a responsible person!" is more motivating than "You are so hard-working!"; and "I feel like you don't have enough empathy." is more motivating than "You are so selfish and only consider yourself when doing things!" It is easy for people to accept and makes the direction of improvement clearer.
No matter how strong a person’s logical thinking is, how big his pattern will be and how big his achievements will be.
The logical level provides us with a thinking model, reminding people to go through the lower three levels to realize the thinking of the upper three levels.
Charlie Munger said: "A mental model will provide you with a perspective or thinking framework, which determines the perspective from which you observe things and the world. Top-level mental models can increase your likelihood of success. And help you avoid failure. ”
Master the logical level of analysis tools to achieve cognitive upgrades, prompting people to explore and discover the inner desires and motivations of themselves and the organization, and use this to create better actions. The plan can ultimately achieve additive progress.