Personal Growth | Seizing It

Pamela’s Book Reviews: “Don’t Just Talk Be Heard”, by David Levin

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Pamela Geer

Are you aware of some of the gaps between what you say and what others actually hear? David Levin, a communication coach, has written this book to help you close that gap and become more proficient at “being heard”.

When I read David’s book I enjoyed the light, breezy style. He incorporates stories that make for a quick and interesting read, but the underlying framework has real meat and depth. He gives examples and real-life scenarios that we can all relate to, but solutions and tips as well.

David has created a study guide to go with his book. He also does a monthly newsletter. To learn more about David, his books and newsletter, visit http://dontjusttalkbeheard.com .

Filed under: Pamela's Book Reviews | Tagged: Communication tips, Leadership Skills, Personal Growth | Leave a comment »

Leaders with “It” are Paradigm Pugilists!

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Pamela Geer

You can begin “Seizing It” by being a paradigm pugilist.

A few years ago I attended a training session where the trainer said that his entire job could be summarized in two words, “Paradigm Pugilist”. I thought this was very clever, as the concept covered by the two words was powerful, and I liked the alliteration. However, as often happens with communication, my friends with me did not like it at all, because they did not understand what it meant! And thus are great ideas sometimes lost!

In this context, some definitions to get us started:

Paradigm – your view of reality
Pugilist – a boxer
Alliteration – words that begin with the same letter 🙂

So why do I think it is important that Leaders With “It” become Paradigm Pugilists, or boxers who take left and right jabs until they bust apart the current reality?

To really drive effective change, a leader has to sometimes recognize that the way an organization does things is no longer effective. To take small incremental steps in a new direction is just not enough, and will take too long to bring about real progress. A true leader, in these circumstances, has the courage to take drastic measures to move in that new direction. These leaders become Paradigm Pugilists.

I think it is important to note that this is the first part of effective change management, that is, the courage to look at things in a brand new way and change course. Executing on the change, and preparing the organization for that change by communication and training, are also critical steps.

Can these concepts be applied to our personal lives as well? Are you stuck? Are you tired of repeating the same patterns of behavior? Have you ended up in a place that isn’t where you want to be anymore? Do you need to take stock and reevaluate your direction? You might need to become a Paradigm Pugilist to effect real and meaningful change in your life. Sometimes we have to look at a new route to get to where we want to go.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer, The Power of Intention

Awareness is the first step to bringing about any change – awareness of your dissatisfaction with where you are; awareness of your ability to bust out of the box you have placed yourself in and create a new reality. If awareness is followed by discovery of a new horizon, if intention to reach that horizon is born, and if that intention translates into action, then we can move ourselves, and our organizations, to new and better possibilities. Become a Paradigm Pugilist, and you, too, can begin Seizing “It”.

Filed under: Leaders with "It" are . . . | Tagged: Executive Presence, Leadership Presence, Leadership Skills, Pamela Geer, Personal Growth | Leave a comment »

Leaders with “It” are Intentional!

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Pamela Geer

You can begin “Seizing It” by being intentional.

While participating in a training class last year, I was given a homework assignment to interview executives and ask them a series of questions about qualities they looked for in their leaders. I took the assignment to heart and interviewed over a dozen different people (including the new Bank of America CEO, who at that time managed the division for which I worked). And while I received many unique answers to my questions, one thing was abundantly clear: successful leaders were all intentional!

So what does this mean and how can you incorporate intention into your daily practices?

A definition for intention that highlights my interview findings is: “fixedness of attention, a stretching or bending of the mind towards an object”.

This is so much more than mere goal setting, or one more resolution at the beginning of this New Year! This is like a captain steering a ship on a long journey towards a distant compass point. While there may be much prolonged activity, and many supporting goals, the captain never loses sight of that point to which he ultimately must steer. When a leader can first define this intention, then articulate it, then guide others towards it, they are leading with intention and real power.

This idea of intention is not just for the professional business executive; it can be used to attain all personal goals. While visiting my daughter at college last fall, I had occasion to visit the pool locker room, and the section set apart for the swimmers on the collegiate swim team. One of my favorite quotes from Alexander Graham Bell was on the locker of an individual swimmer, and served to remind the swimmer, every day, of her intention:

“What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.”

As we begin this New Year, I would encourage you to define and focus on your Intention, because in the words of Wayne Dyer: “Our intention creates our reality”. Remember to practice Intention, and you, too, will begin “Seizing It”!

Filed under: Leaders with "It" are . . . | Tagged: Executive Presence, Intention, Leadership Presence, Leadership Skills, Pamela Geer, Personal Growth | Leave a comment »

Flying Free

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Pamela Geer

Flying Free

When I was a child my Mother would sometimes throw us all outdoors on a Saturday morning and tell us not to come back for a few hours. You have to understand that there were 7 of us. Not just 7, but 7 in 9 years! And I was the youngest.

During those times, my sister and I would sometimes play Circus. Our poor old cocker spaniel Tinker was our lion, and we’d thrust stools at him and pretend to have whips. Our Siamese cat Caesar would be forced to walk up and down boards and perform. Once they grew tired, and revolted, we’d play Circus on our bikes. And how we loved to ride!

We took gymnastics and ballet at the local YMCA, so our bikes were both our trapeze and our Arabian dance horse. I had a particular move where I’d hold on to the handlebars with my hands, stand on the seat, and put one leg out in an arabesque. (Luckily we lived on a dirt road so the crashes were a bit softer than asphalt.) But oh, for those moments, I could fly!

As my life progressed and I grew up, as we all do, I became more tethered. With each year I seemed to take on more chains, more weights, more responsibility. Job, husband, children, teenagers, college tuition, responsibilities. I forgot that I could fly!

Last year I had a moment of deep awareness. I realized that I lived my life feeling as if a large ball and chain dragged behind me everywhere I went. Life was serious stuff! Illness was serious stuff! Work, projects, banking, was serious stuff. Getting my daughter to the right college was serious stuff. Life was just not fun!

Exhausted from the weight, I began a journey to find an implement to remove the chain. I looked at bolt cutters, saws, and sharp objects. And then I realized I had the key! It had been with me the entire time! My attitude towards myself and life was the key to remove the chain!

I began to re-discover my dreams for myself. I began to take time to ask myself what I wanted to have, to be, and to do. I had lost touch with myself to the point that I could not answer those questions initially, but I began to do the work to find the answers. That inward journey can be a long one, but I have emerged with renewed hope, passion and purpose, which I share with others through my speaking and writing career.

Today, I rode my bike! An old-fashioned, 1950’s style Carolina blue model with a basket. Up and down the residential streets of Sullivan’s Island, SC. The beach 3 blocks to the left, the marsh 3 blocks to the right. Past historic antebellum mansions, old beach cottages, new beach mansions. My legs pumped faster and faster, and I let go of the handlebars! I spread my arms wide, pedaling furiously, a big grin cleaving across my face. And I was back! I was flying free! Free of the chains, the responsibilities, the worries. Free to feel the wind blowing my hair wildly across my face, free to feel the sun tanning my shoulders, free to life and all of its possibilities.

I am open to dreams, goals and possibilities!

I am Seizing “It”!

I am wonderful, becoming!

I am Flying Free!

Filed under: Essays | Tagged: motivation, Pamela Geer, Personal Growth | 1 Comment »

Seizing It

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