Neuro-linguistic programming or NLP, a field of practical psychology developed in the US in the early 1970s, is now widely used in business and personal coaching. What can it tell us about successful team-building? Here are 10 top NLP lessons in leadership

1. Pay attention to non-verbal communication. Voice tone and facial expressions are a great way of gauging other people's sincerity and commitment. Be aware of the signals you are sending out to others, too-something you are doing all the time, whether you intend to or not.

2. Write things down. People tend to prefer one of their senses. People with a hearing preference remember what is said; those with a seeing one need to have things written down. Putting things in writing after speaking ensures that everyone has got the message.

3. Understand the direction of people's motivation. Some turn towards goals; others turn away from things they don't want. Most business leaders are in the former category but not all, and many customers and staff are in the latter. Goal-driven leaders can waste a lot of time trying to inspire people towards goals when they're actually much more concerned about avoiding pitfalls.

4. You don't always have to set the agenda... Start an encounter by listening to someone with genuine curiosity and without judgement. This raises the quality of the relationship, so you will be more likely to spot significant issues such as a disaffected staff member or a customer who is considering leaving.

5. ... But you do have to agree the rules of engagement. In dealing with your staff and other stakeholders in the business, clearly confirm outcomes, set expectations and boundaries. This is what all good coaches do.

6. Prepare emotionally for stressful situations. NLP is full of processes, many taken from the world of sport, to get people in the best possible state of mind to always perform at their best.

7. Be creative, practical and critical. The best businesspeople behave in all of these three ways—at different times. Give each one time to flourish. Take some regular time outside your "day job" to create new or better things. Then be critical of these creations, be alert for what might go wrong with them and then use your creative side again to find ways around any problems.

8. Avoid drama merchants. People who create drama do so because of a lack of attention or affection in their private lives, but you're not their therapist. Don't spend most of your precious time on these dysfunctional individuals: getting them to move on lets you spend it on undemanding staff who need you, too, though they don't make so much fuss about it.

9. Understand the difference between vision and ambition. Your people will respond to a vision of building a leading business much more than they will to the goal of making you richer.

10. Give people space to excel. Both coaching and NLP stress the "resourcefulness" of the individual: great NLP coaches bring out the best in people by allowing them to be themselves, make mistakes, learn and challenge themselves. Great leaders do this, too.

Robbie Steinhouse is head of training at NLP School, London. His new book, How to Coach with NLP, is published by Prentice Hall (£14.99)