NLP Weekly: Better Together.

NLP Weekly: Making your leadership & performance second nature.  

Performance: Strengthening Weaknesses & Refining Edges

"Focus on your strengths" is some of the most limiting advice you can give, get, or follow.

Great athletes & performers don’t just focus on their strengths—they spend countless hours working on their weaknesses and refining the edges of their game. Sally Jenkins explains in The Right Call, true excellence lies in deliberate practice: intentionally addressing areas where you struggle and turning potential weaknesses into newfound strengths.

This concept isn’t just for athletes—it applies to all of us. When we avoid our weaknesses, they remain vulnerabilities. When we face them with intention and persistence, they become opportunities for growth. The process is even more powerful when done with others.

Working on your weaknesses as part of a team or in partnership creates accountability and fresh perspectives. Just as a tennis player might rely on a coach to spot inefficiencies in their swing, we benefit from others helping us see what we can’t. Collaborative practice also fosters trust and shared improvement.

This week:

• Identify one “weakness” or underdeveloped skill that’s holding you back.
• Partner with someone who can support you or join a group working toward similar goals.

Remember: refining your edges sharpens your performance, strengthens your confidence and resilience.

Leadership: Communication That Adds Meaning

Warren Bennis, one of the most influential voices in leadership, emphasized that great leaders communicate in a way that inspires meaning and purpose. On any team, in any relationship, communication is the bridge between shared goals and collective action.

But fostering meaningful communication isn’t about quantity—it’s about quality. It’s about creating a space where people feel heard, understood, and connected to the team’s larger mission. A simple question like, “What do you need from me to do your best work?” can open the door to powerful dialogue and deeper understanding.

Leaders who practice meaningful communication recognize that every conversation—whether it’s a quick check-in or a team meeting—is an opportunity to align, motivate, and connect. Adding meaning requires being intentional with your words, listening deeply, and ensuring your team understands how their work contributes to the bigger picture.

This week, take time to ask your team meaningful questions.

• What’s one thing they need to feel supported?
• What’s one way you can better align communication with purpose?

Your willingness to listen and adapt can transform a team’s dynamic and accelerate performance.

Nature: Lessons from Clydesdales

Clydesdales are known for their immense strength and teamwork. A single Clydesdale can pull up to 8,000 pounds on its own. But when two are hitched together, they can pull not just double that—16,000 pounds—but up to 24,000 pounds. That’s the power of teamwork.

What’s even more remarkable is what happens when the pair trains together. With practice and coordination, two Clydesdales can pull up to 32,000 pounds—four times the strength of one.

This phenomenon, called synergy, is a perfect metaphor for the power of collaboration. Working together with trust and alignment amplifies what we’re capable of achieving. Training together takes it one step further—it turns potential into mastery.

• Where you could achieve more by working together?
• What “weight” could you pull with a partner or team that you couldn’t alone?
• How can you strengthen that connection to create even greater results?

Pursue external observation.

Communicate meaningfully.

Practice together.

-Graham