Unlocking Potential: Dr. Rana's NAIL-IT Leadership Approach to Achieving Balance and Fulfillment

In this engaging interview, we welcome back Dr. Rana to Hinton Magazine, where she shares insights into her transformative work and the evolution of her coaching philosophy since the launch of her groundbreaking book, The Ultimate Achievement Formula. Dr. Rana discusses the pressing challenges professionals face today, including overwhelm, stress, and the quest for balance. She highlights the unique approach of her upcoming book, NAIL-IT Leadership: Your Blueprint to Success, and the profound impact her coaching has had on individuals and teams. With a focus on fostering happiness and sustainable high performance, Dr. Rana offers invaluable wisdom for navigating the complexities of modern life.

Dr. Rana, welcome back to Hinton Magazine! It's wonderful to have you with us again. Since our last interview, how has your work evolved, especially with the launch of "The Ultimate Achievement Formula"?

One very telling theme throughout this year, is just how much professionals need it!  Everyone I speak to can relate to the non-stop demands, the overwhelm, the inability to switch off, the constant chasing to an elusive destination, the changes in their body, energy and mindset as they age, the impact this all has on their relationships, and are grateful for just how comprehensive and versatile the application of this system is to achieve ultimate performance in all areas of life.

Last year you were writing your new book. How has it resonated with your readers, and what feedback have you received that stands out to you?

In fact, while the book was written, there have been constant tweaks and improvement I wanted to include as I systematised and developed the formula even further, so we are now in the design phase with a view to it being available in February 2025.  I have called it NAIL-IT Leadership: Your Blueprint To Success.

It really creates as comprehensive step-by step guide on how to achieve ultimate performance without the downside of burnout, failed relationships, poor health or discontent.  I know very few systems that link high performance to also mastering happiness and living a life of fulfilment and balance at the same time, so am excited to make it so accessible to professionals, business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders.

Over the past year, have you noticed any shifts in the challenges or goals your clients are facing, particularly with the ongoing global changes? How have these shifts influenced your approach?

The stress and feeling of disconnect and resignation is even greater. There is certainly a theme of helplessness and despair about what is going on in the world, and at the same time the stress of feeling powerless to do anything.  Financial stress is big one, with concerns over changing governments and economic policies. Interestingly, there has also been increased demand to improve speaking and presentation skills – again, a key aspect of performance, both in and out of work.

This just bring me back to the necessity of NAIL-IT Leadership – where professionals can feel more empowered, have effective strategies to deal with stress, master emotional regulation, delegate appropriately while inspiring and recognising the skill-sets of those around them, and improving productivity and yet maintain both physical and financial health.

With that, I have included training in the NAIL-IT model to improve speaking and presentation skills, and actively look as money-mindset and how this can improve sales and drive conversions for anyone in business.

Could you share a success story or two from the past year where someone has truly "NAIL-IT" using your formula? What transformation did you witness?

As you know, unlike traditional performance or leadership coaching, NAIL-IT is unique in its approach to the whole person and whole team, and doesn’t simply gloss over the surface.

I worked with a leadership team of health professionals, running some team-building workshops and training days to focus down to their specific challenges, which were motivation, productivity, team collaboration, and self-leadership.

The training I offer is immersive and experiential, and research shows this has 90% greater impact than simply listening to a PowerPoint presentation.  

The follow-up with the team has been impressive.  Staff retention for the clinics has increased by 20%, the teams report feeling heard and appreciated more by the leadership more, the culture has shifted to one of inclusivity and unsurprisingly, their revenue has increased through streamlining efficiency and communication.

On an individual level, I have seen clients step out of their comfort zones on speaking platforms, putting themselves forwards to give presentations online and in person and have trained them in performance and message using my skills and position as a public speaking mentor for the Professional Speakers Academy.

You've emphasized the importance of fun in optimal performance. How have you seen this aspect impact the lives and success of your clients over the past year?

Oh it’s huge. Why would you want to do something if it wasn’t fun?  Seeking out the fun in everything makes you perform better, implement changes more easily and most importantly, sustain them. Happiness is in fact a performance indicator, with 13% greater productivity when you feel happy.

Clients know when they work with me, as in depth, important and serious as our work together is, I will always find an angle to make it fun.

In our last conversation, you mentioned that there’s little difference between personal and professional growth. Over the past year, have you found any new insights or methodologies that further integrate these areas for your clients?

The work I do using the NAIL-IT: The Ultimate Achievement Formula aims to work on everyone at the core in order to make remarkable sustainable shifts as opposed to short term fixes that never last and don’t work.  That means you have to shift the person inside.

When you think about it, work tasks and assignment may be exactly the same.  What differs is the people performing them, and the team they work with.  Shift the person and you shift the outcome, whatever that may be.

Every year brings new challenges. What were some of the biggest obstacles you faced in your own journey this past year, and how did you apply your principles to overcome them?

That is a very good question!  There are always challenges and I am certainly not unique in that respect.  I have found myself perhaps not walking my talk quite so much – going all out all of the time, and failing to listen to my body or my honour my needs. Working 7-day weeks, not exercising enough, and letting go of my daily rituals in favour of work.

I even found myself falling back into my wantaholic’ tendencies of looking for external successes to determine my mood. The consequences were that I was becoming less productive, making poor decisions, particularly about people to work with, and not feeling happy. I felt dis-connected and started to lose site of my end-goals.  Vague ideas lead to vague results.

I hit the re-set button. I went back to the basics – The Kickstart Wellbeing Framework of NAIL-IT – honouring needs! Re-identifying my needs based on my current circumstances and where I wanted to be, setting boundaries, communicating much more effectivity, and using the system I teach for emotional intelligence.

A small relapse is normal. It’s knowing how to get back on the right path that is key.  I actually took a long holiday, with no laptop or WIFI and hiked the Tour Du Mont Blanc. 120km with 100m daily elevations and descents over 6 days. I followed that with quality dedicated time with my children. Just being connected to nature and myself helped to knit me back together again and shifting my self-talk put me back into a place of inner joy and peace.  

In our previous discussion, you spoke about the importance of acting now to prevent future regrets. How have you seen this philosophy impact your clients in terms of their long-term satisfaction and success?

Non-one ever wants to act now. How many times do we hear the phrase “yes I should,” “maybe one day,” “when the kids are older,” “when I retire…..” 

Typically, they take action when the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of change.  Yet sustainable change is created by moving towards a reward of what you want rather than though fear and deterrent from what you don’t want.

So with my clients, we work very strongly together on clarity of desires and a deep driving force to keep shifting towards that.  The daily practices I teach them help to integrate this into their DNA and stretch them for long enough so that ultimately, they can look back and not even recognise the person they once were, such is their satisfaction and success today.

Leadership is a core component of your teachings. How have you seen the concept of leadership evolve in your clients over the last year, especially in response to global events?

Leadership is often misconstrued and often unless you work in corporate, you think it doesn’t relate to you. That is simply not true!

Leadership, or self-leadership, is about knowing exactly who you are, what you want and how to achieve it.  Start with leading yourself, and you will naturally lead others.  

There is far much toxic culture and yet if you look after yourself and your people, your people will look after you and your business.  Those that implement this have the ability to thrive in challenging global times.

Reflecting on your own journey over the past year, what personal growth have you experienced? How has it influenced your approach to leadership and coaching?

Well like I mentioned, I sensed myself slipping into old ways.  That said, I recognised it and knew that that past behaviour was not what I wanted and not the person I recognised as my true self anymore, hence the disconnect.

If anything, it strengthened the belief in what I do and how I help people. I know it works. The whole NAIL-IT system is a systemised version of how I healed myself and achieved high performance without the downside of burnout or failed relationships. 

I have grown enormously this year in communicating my feelings and boundaries on a personal level, when professionally I has already mastered it. I reinforced this with several virtual pats on the back! 

I actually wished I could find a motivational immersive event to go to that would push and challenge me with more advanced techniques as opposed to the basics for those starting out on personal development.  I wanted to go to my own event! Ha ha!  I have made do with a few other spiritual retreats, and inevitably I will take what I learn and incorporate it into how I coach and train at my events.

As someone always pushing forward, what new projects or developments can we expect from you and ALFA Leadership & Wellbeing in the coming months?

Definitely look at for the book!  NAIL-IT Leadership: Your Blueprint for Success.

I am planning some one-day immersive NAIL-IT motivational events as many have fed back to me that 3-days is a big commitment to start with, so I have created a taster day to inspire people.

I am also going back to my roots creating a bespoke online NAIL-IT course specifically for health professionals as they experience amongst the highest rates of stress, depression addiction and divorce, so have tailored NAIL-IT to them and doing some exciting things with the NHS on that.

It is so versatile and I have really enjoyed showcasing how NAIL-IT can be incorporated into any specific niche and any company.

We are also doing a lot more in-house training and assessments for teams, working on team culture and performance. Lots of exciting developments and lots of fun!

Finally, looking ahead to the next year, what one piece of advice would you like to leave with our readers to help them achieve balance and fulfilment in these unpredictable times?

A wobble every now and again is normal. If you train you core and strengthen it though, you will only wobble but not fall off. 

So :

-train your core by knowing exactly who you are and living it

-keep a view into the future while focusing on being present

-bring people up and allow others to bring up too.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Throughout the interview, Dr. Rana emphasizes the necessity of her NAIL-IT Leadership model, designed to empower professionals and enhance performance while preventing burnout. She shares success stories from clients who have benefited from her immersive training and the importance of fun in achieving optimal results. Dr. Rana also reflects on her personal growth journey, the shifts in leadership dynamics, and the new developments on the horizon for ALFA Leadership & Wellbeing. As we look to the future, her advice for achieving balance and fulfillment reminds us of the significance of self-awareness and community support. For more information on Dr. Rana and her transformative coaching, visit Light Changes Coaching.