About me: Bill Thomason
What differentiates my
work from other coaches and trainers is what I bring from my personal
history and business background. When I was exposed to Neuro
Linguistic Programming or NLP, I already had an orientation to being
holistically oriented. I started my career in the health food
business. I had learned that the holistic approach is most often the
best. Why apply only one tool or methodology to a complicated issue
when you can address it from a number of directions at once? One thing
I liked about NLP is that there were so many tools that can be applied to an
issue and it's focus on what works as a way of measuring success.
Flexibility of behavior is a highly valued characteristic of NLPers (people
who use NLP techniques and skills). Over the last 10-12 years, part of my
business has included corporate training with top Fortune 500 executives.
I co-lead seminars with trainers from the 'Breakthrough' technology
tradition. I believe I have taken the very best parts of the
'breakthrough' style (best known from Landmark Education, Inc.) of creating
change. I have integrated the more aggressive, head-on 'breakthrough'
work with the more permissive NLP approach of creating change from inside
rapport with my clients. Personality-wise, many top business people
respect those who can stand shoulder to shoulder with them and 'stand for'
their greatness, even in the face of the pressures that an executive must
face daily.
Also, there are lots of
coaches from a number orientations and the training they receive usually
derives from a long-standing NLP presupposition that 'people already have
all the resources necessary to accomplish any outcome they congruently
desire,' so the focus of their work is not to add input or give advice, but
to ask questions in a way that allows the individual to find his or her own
resources and strategies. What is missing from my point of view is
that NLP techniques then give specific tools for creating profound change
that most (maybe 90% or more) of the coaches out there simply do not have in
their toolbox. NLP Coaching is simply more effective.
See
NLP Q&A!
Here's a little history:
In 1985 a girlfriend invited
me to a seminar. I said, "Sure." As an afterthought, I asked,
"What is the seminar about?" She said, "We are going to 'walk on
fire.'" I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open. And I don't know
if voiced the immediate thought that came to my mind. The question,
"WHY?" formed on my lips. I don't know if any actual words came out.
At the time I had been
working with a PhD Psychologist in Dallas, Texas. As part of my
employment agreement as Operations Director in the packaging of a weight loss longevity clinic and
franchise, I was in the process of learning his technology. (See
'Core Decisional Repatterning©.') I remembered reading a brief
article about a young Anthony Robbins in OMNI Magazine. I knew there was
more to what Robbins was teaching than just the 'fire walking' gimmick.
I attended the 4-day Mind Revolution seminar. About 35 minutes
into the Friday evening starting event, I knew that this was the
technology I had been looking for. I read everything I could find about NLP.
I attended or staffed seminars. I studied with all the NLP trainers I
could access. And, I practiced the skills.
I also studied with and
promoted the best-selling author, Anthony Robbins, and was certified in
NLP in 1987. My partner, Quinta Oran (deceased), and I represented Robbins
Research in North Texas area and developed a healthy NLP practice that
we ran from our
home. After some time, we returned to college at West Texas State
University to finish some college work and then moved to Sedona, Arizona in 1991.
I lived in Sedona for about 14 years and I now live in the Phoenix, Arizona
area with the love of my life and I practice NLP from my office in Scottsdale,
Arizona. In addition, I travel and
work with Fortune 500 executives as an executive coach and trainer.
Over the years, I have
studied with Tad James (Time Line Therapy(tm), Huna Training, Magical
Presentations, and more), Wyatt Woodsmall (Advanced Behavior Modeling,
Principled Negotiations), Richard Bandler (Hypnosis, Selling), Michael
Grinder (Group Dynamics), Rodger Bailey (Metaprograms),Ian Jackson (Ericksonian
Hypnosis) and, of course, I
studied with everyone else I could get in front of.
I did NLP Practitioner Certification with Anthony Robbins and a follow up
course with Robert Bayless. I
did NLP Trainer Certification with Quinta Oran who studied with Mary Hail-Haniff
in Florida who was a student of Roy Frazer out of New York.
I learned Redecision Therapy from Harvey G. Davisson, Ph.D. in Dallas,
Texas. I took Landmark Education's, Forum seminar, and learned Breakthrough technology
from Landmark and Lifespring instructors I have worked with regularly in the executive coaching
and culture change seminar work I do with Fortune 500 companies.
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Bill Thomason
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