On Friday, 1^st August, 2025, the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore, arranged an extension lecture on the emerging field of “Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)” for the participants of the 38^th Senior Management Course (SMC). The lecture was delivered by Dr. Fareed ud Din Qureshi, a certified trainer, life coach, and NLP practitioner.

Dr. Qureshi highlighted that the communication gap creates most of the issues in leadership. He said that NLP assists in filling such gaps, including through connecting language, thinking patterns, and behaviour. He explained the basic principles of NLP and explored the applicability of NLP in the public service sector. He emphasized the need for the application of NLP in enhancing service delivery, management of the concerns of the citizens, and management of different teams in various government departments/agencies.

Dr. Qureshi said that NLP seeks to positively alter the behaviour and mental attitude through conscious learning, unlearning, and relearning. He elaborated on some of the basic NLP skills: establishing rapport through the use of voice inflection and body language; goal setting through outcome thinking to achieve positive goals; and having behavioural flexibility. He also stressed the need to take feedback positively.

Dr. Qureshi also identified the impediments to a growth mindset, including ego, fear of losing control, and defensiveness. He called on the officers to develop a sense of empathy and a mindset to grow.

The session saw an active involvement of the participants, reflected by intensive engagement through incisive questions.