Profiling the mind without a crystal ball

Dr Lizelle Grobler does not need to know you to know you. She can read your face like a book, decode your signature as easily as others read a WhatsApp and she already knows your state of being before you do, based on what you wear and its colours.

She does this without a crystal ball and tarot cards. It is profiling and does not have to have anything to do with crime.

Detailing what makes someone tick is a combination of several aspects that create a whole, she said. It requires neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and statement content analysis, along with several tells that our body and our actions provide.

Connection between how we think, communicate and behave

NLP is a psychological approach that explores the connection between how we think as in neuro, how we communicate in other words, linguistic, and our behavioural patterns referred to as programming.

“We look at what is said, what is not said, body language, energy. We put everything together to get the full picture,” she said.

Grobler is also a specialist in facial profiling. “Your face is a map of your personality,” she said. “The shape of your nose, your ears, your lips and every feature says something about how you think, how you behave, and where you will thrive or struggle.”

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It’s based on an ancient way of profiling people called physiognomy, where a person’s character or personality is assessed based on their facial features and expressions. It can be directly linked to someone’s station in life, or at the office, she said.

“Sit in any boardroom and look around. Most of the executives will have straight noses and foreheads. That is typical of a managerial mindset. People with curved noses can do the job, but they are likely to be miserable while doing it,” she said.

Even your lips can give information away. “Good salespeople usually have a fuller bottom lip. It does not have to be large, just fuller than the top. These are the people who win arguments and get their point across, whether in business or in relationships.”

Lips give information away

Also, forget about a polygraph. Grobler said handwriting is a dead give-away for untruths and someone’s state of being. If someone believes their own lie, or whether they have mastered control of their bodies, lie detector tests are not as accurate as we would like them to be.

But your hand cannot lie. “A polygraph detects guilt. If someone does not think what they did was wrong, they will pass. But we will still pick it up. That is where combining different methods makes all the difference.

“We can pick up if someone is lying, dealing with trauma or is emotionally unsettled. This all from a few scribbled lines. Even a dot behind a signature can reveal trust issues.”

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It’s this recipe that combines to inform human behaviour that has always fascinated Grobler.

She grew up in a Middleburg, Mpumalanga, household that featured strong personalities. “My father ran his own businesses and was also the mayor. I was raised by people who worked hard, thought big and got things done.”

It got her thinking and comparing different people and traits. She went on to pursue an initial career in human resources and studied forensic psychology at the University of Pretoria. “Human behaviour just never stopped fascinating me,” she said.

Human behaviour fascinates Grobler

“And I have always had a sharp intuition. That combination pushed me to go deeper into the world of profiling.”

Fifteen years ago, in her mid-thirties, Grobler’s HR job pivoted when she convinced her employer to start an internal investigation unit. It was so successful that she bought it from her bosses a year later.

That, in turn, shaped her current business Iqiniso, which means truth in Zulu.

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Her firm now handles a wide range of matters, from theft and fraud to hijackings, harassment and even rhino poaching.

She also uses profiling to help improve workplace dynamics. “When we profile entire departments, people stop getting angry with each other. They start understanding how others see the world. It is like standing on opposite sides of a building. We are describing the same structure, but it looks different from where we are standing.”

When she’s not in analytical mode, Grobler is a trained aerialist and practises the Israeli self-defence form Krav Maga. “I call it a hobby, but in my line of work, it is also a necessity.”

Teaching mind mastery

Grobler also teaches. Her workshops combine profiling with what she calls mind mastery that includes practical tools to help people understand how their thoughts affect their health and emotions.

“You can change your body state with your mind. People do not realise they can be three times stronger just by changing their thoughts,” she said.

“My dream is that when I leave a room, people feel changed, empowered and inspired to make a difference.”

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