Atlanta Women Leaders Association Chapter Meeting: Harness Your Inner Power

so as we move to our next presentation Pam we are going to ask you if you can turn your camera on and unmute yourself and you do need to unmute yourself Pam and thank you everyone for um being with us during our like brief little technical pause while pay tries to unmute
herself I don't know what to do I don't know if you could un um unmute yourself through your headset or see so Pam is going to try to um see if she could unmute herself really quick and if not we can maybe see if we can move on to our panel let me
see maybe if I could switch somebody out hold on just one second uh are you guys is able to see me now now we can hear you wonderful thank you so much for being with us so P thank could you give us a self- introduction sure um I'm not sure if you guys can see me because I can't see me I'm on my cell phone so um but my name is Pam champion and I've been in the workforce for well over 38 years um um The Journey has been a long one but a long on that route I've learned a lot so um I'm happy to be here I consider it an honor to be able to speak to each and every one of you to even to be invited um to do a presentation and I thought about this um title that I had and it was an intentional one so um with that being said it's it's an honor I'm grateful to be able to present and am thankful for the opportunity to be able to speak to everyone well we are excited to have you with us and we have your slides pulled up so when you need me to Advance them from my side just say next slide but we have your slides pulled up so take it away okay well let's go ahead and just dive in and get started so what I what I life you to do is just go ahead and and hit next slide
next slide great so um what I'd like to go ahead and get started on so let's let's just take a few moments to talk about these first first four words and that's harness your inner power and let me first start with the the obvious that we all here to learn something um we're all here ready to see what we can gain and what kind of information but at the same time some of that information is something that you already know you have already heard before the previous speaker said a lot of things that's going to be in common with some of the things that I'm
saying and you've done all the groundwork to get to this point um you've made career choices and decisions and with that that means you've done everything to get to this point whether it was through the education um me mentoring or working alongside job shadowing but at this point you've done all the groundwork to get here mostly bya education and we hope at this point you have some kind of employment where you can kind of Step your foot into the door so that you could be able to move and get to wherever it is that you want to go now to dive into the secret sauce of this inner power we know that harnessing your inner power means tapping in into that um quiet inner Force within you that when it's tapped into and is used you're able to do and not only do but to rise to the occasion this inner power um sometimes will have um be there for you when you need it the most sometimes you don't even know it's there it just depends on that situation as to when you you can actually pull it up and then rise to the occasion um what I'd like to do at this point to just share a a personal story um years back I joined the Army National Guard and that was just to help pay for schooling but um as part of what my job title was going to be be or my job title at that time was was aerial photography and what that meant is in this job as an area of Photography you would have to take a camera load it into belly of into the belly of a plane lift it up lock it in place and then plot a mission and go out and fly and take photos from the air
so in doing that task as it turned out at that time I weighed just a little over 95 pounds but the camera itself weighed 50 so what happened in that time was you had I had people making fun of me I had people doubting me telling me what I couldn't do um mostly to pick up that camera and to load it into the plane but that was something inside of me that says I'll show them what I can do and that's what that inner power comes from just like I say it's that little quiet thing inside of you that when it's come time for you to harness that power you're able to do it and Amaze yourself but as it turned out yes I went to the shed where the cameras were located I picked the camera up I um I wish it was in person so you can see how it did but I picked the camera up carried it with slow steady steps because remind you now I'm a little over 95 pound this camera is 50 but what I did was position myself in such a way that I lean my lean back so the weight I would be able to carry the weight and each step was a slow step till I reached the plane now in thise that was um underneath it a shoot that was open that you lift the camera up now the hard part was shifting how I was holding the camera in a position so I could lift it up into the into the plane this was the most difficult part of that because now I had to depend on the weight of my arms and they weren't that quite strong but it was just something about the feedback and hearing people making F of you telling you what you can't do you'll never be able to do it that helped me to find that inner strength to lift it up in the plane lock it in get in the plane carry my mission so the thing is is showing that example I hope will give you an insight as to what you're capable of doing when you think you can't we must learn to embrace the things that we we think we can't do we can do more than what we actually believe that we can do all of us have weaknesses and so we have to embrace those weaknesses and know those weaknesses and then look at ways to to um take those weakness and make them a strength you have to take some time to get to know who you are what you are capable of doing knowing those strength and knowing that having that inner voice in you that says I can I can do this and the most I guess the thing that I like about that inner strength that you have and we all have it is that you know how to capitalize on it when you don't even think you do you you know how to when you walk into a room you come in with a presence you know how to take everything that you um been taught everything you've taken in school everything harness all of those skills and when to apply those skills we must um be truthful to who we are I think the previous um speaker talked about your strengths uh so much as so as to know that you are capable and able as part as what we do we must never think of anything that we fail at or anything that we make a mistake at um we not shouldn't look at it in a negative way look at it as being an opportunity to learn from because this is the purpose of it if you you're not making mistakes if you don't fail then you're not doing something but the thing is is how to capitalize on those mistakes and how to learn from them so you don't make the same how to Strat you know develop some kind of strategy so you can maneuver around and be able to move forward these are the things like capitalizing on that inner strength that you have within you
all of you have a vision or desire and what it is you want to accomplish never lose sight of that never let anyone make you feel that you're not capable or you're not able never let anyone when I say anyone I'm also talking about you yourself the moment you start doubting yourself it brings in an invite all these negative negativeness that says you can't but you can don't be afraid of
challenges don't shy away from it look at challenges in another way look at them as an opportunity an opportunity that you can show up and show what you're capable of doing so with that being said I'm going to move into the second part and we don't need to change the slides where you are right now is fine but let's talk about powerful
impact and I'm just just going to stop it right here when we talk about powerful impact first of all we all have our own stories and that has brought us to where we are today and along those Journeys to that story and some of you may be still um walking along that journey of your career there's always something to learn there's always things that you can take from your experience and apply them to wherever it is you want to go the um you want to be able to do something to uncover that power your resilience your strength and yes work in fear um do the homework for that mental energy so you can take on these new challenges and like we I've stated previously you don't want to look at it as a challenge oh I don't think I can do it I don't I don't know no no it's an opportunity when um you're invited to that table you want to always walk in into that room like you own it you want to walk into that room like God sent you there with confidence not arrogant but confidence you want to be prepared whatever that HP that situation might be as part of that meeting whether it's a staff meeting where you where you working at and the job that you do every day day in and day out your team is doing pay attention look for ways that you can bring meaningful um suggestions meaningful um things to help to make the job better and once you do that you'll find that they will your management team will start looking at you differently there again you have to bring the knowledge the skill you have to bring the tra um strategy bring with you some resources know your facts so when you show up at that table and sit at your seat and you be the one to speak up for ideas bring solutions to the table another story I can tell you about bringing ideas a company I worked for and this was years ago when I started out and they had of course they had the female bathrooms but in the bathrooms they didn't have female personal items at the disposal of us females that went into the bathroom so we decided that this is something that we would like the company to do for us of course they should have done it in the first place but yet still sometimes you have to help people to know what they don't know so we sat out found vendors did the research wrote down the proposal we even uh Drew up designs on where the proper place would be to place these things we in the next staff meeting we presented did a presentation a whole slide presentation of the why with and answered the questions we asked the question why it wasn't there we gave the answer why it needs to be there and then we actually gave vendors that we could look at and their prices and then we also did the diagram as I stated before of where it should be located and before it was over with we got those things that we petitioned for there again it was showing up at the table prepared and bringing a solution to a problem so we we need to stay in tune with that now mind you it's not a long journey for you um I think I heard someone say you're never alone that's true you're never alone and remember that um it's always good to have a mentor I think I heard those same things in the previous speaker because this Mentor is going to help you or should be able to help you to navigate your career and where it is that you want to go what it is that you want to do and how to do that and the correct way to do that another thing you want to try to seek is a sponsor now a sponsor and I don't know if the companies that you guys are working at have these these great benefits uh the company I I worked for actually have those they not only provide training self training where you can um turn go into the uh educ tool environment and learns things that you don't haven't thought about learning before always broaden your horizon never think you have arrived and you got it made never try working like this is my job security no that don't exist but with a sponsor you can have somebody that can walk into a room and speak on your behalf based off of the things that you've shown them to that you have so when you when you're selecting these people and also another important thing is know the people around you who you're working with everybody don't have the same agenda agenda and if you on point doing what you are doing there are those that may not be happy about that but you're not there to please them you're not there to try to be in the water conversation you're there to do a job and you want to show up and do it the best you can do it every day you come in prepared like I said you walk in on a m mission mission it's is all intentional on how you do what you what you're doing so finally to identify in promoting change and the story I gave you about the restroom was all about promoting a change a very needed change a change that we shouldn't have had to even bring to the table but we did but in promoting change you want to exploit every one of the potentials that are there you want to explore your potential you want to seize and take advantage of every responsibility I think I've said that several times never look at a challenge as something to fear and to run away from always look at it as an opportunity and when you step in and decide that you're going to take this on as an opportunity whatever it is then work hard to be successful at it it's only going to be a Fed feather in your cap in the end to be have that Rec recognition be willing to have those courageous conversation that no one else want to have that is really needed and above all always work as if you're not the only one that's coming through that door you want to set it up so that anyone that's coming behind you will be able to benefit for what you've already done so when it comes to um what we call harnessing your inner power to make a powerful impact at the table and to promote change it's not all about you it's about others that's coming behind you so we always want to do everything we can to ensure that we are working and showing up at the TA at the uh table when we enter the room that we are at our best you want to always be dressed for Success these are these are things I'm sure you've already heard before but also be mindful that your job and what you do it is at helps to sustain your living don't let it be the most important thing in your life that you can't do anything but your job have you got to have some balance and find time to find your own inner peace find time when you get up in the morning to help you get that inner power that you have something that you can say that will set you in a place to be positive and ready to start that day every day
whatever that is that motivates you so in the slide that is showing now what I did was put some of the things that I've written and the things that I use to help me um because I I never back down for for an opportunity to show up and when I do I try to bring the best I can to the table and most of all I hope that something I've said um will help you to understand the power that you have within you and that you never let anybody limit who you are and what you can
do the first one says be courageous in times of uncertainty when you know things are wrong step out against it that which is wrong and do what is right even in spite of what others may think that takes courage it requires that inner strength never forget the greatness found in you it's your game changer because we all have greatness in us we just have to believe and have that confident that we do and we can Implement and do that by doing those same things like standing in the mirror in the morning as you um getting ready to leave out for the for the office or may work at home sitting in front of the um the screen tell yourself I got this this is the day I'm gonna be great I am going to Stepping I am Unstoppable I am unmovable I am courageous whatever those say is that helps you to find that game changer for you never let any as we stated before we don't want anybody Define who you are or what you should do or what you should not do that job is only reserved for you striving each day to be great to do something great to help someone else to be great improve the lives of those around you your passion whatever those goals is whatever you want to achieve whatever your next level you're trying to get to just remember it has to be the same as working your dream leadership is not a role being a leader is not a role it's a way of life the way of thinking and of course we are all wonderfully and beautifully made it is such a is this really a hard thing to
believe we always want and I am a religious person so that it's also what I use as my tool in my pocket as well to get where I want to go I know that I looked to be what I expect my God what my God see in me I want to see that in me as well and can I get you to move to the next slide I'm not sure about my timing but in the next slide
um I I talk about things that you need to do to help you to just do it it says remember in time of your deepest fear and you can't see your way through remember your gift of courage and strength embedded deep within you you have been prepared for such a task as this there is no task too great there is nothing you can't achieve there's nothing you cannot
do all you have to do is just believe and just do it and I'll share with you a saying that my son my late son uh shared with me as to what he would tell people that that he was mentoring or working with and encouraging he would always tell them to just do your best so I'm going to tell this to you just do your best and then just outdo yourself you can't ask for more when you're looking for harnessing that inner power in yourself making an impact and then promoting
change a while back I met a uh a young man his name is Hank Stewart and as we communicated and talked over the phone he was eager to share with me his poem he said Hank Stewart is a poet and the name and the title of that poem was called it and what that poem talked about was a person who has this it factor that no one else had that made them stand out and be different and everyone else is wondering what is this it that this person has so what I'd like to recommend that you do because even listening to his poem is inspirational and this is what we have to do in order to keep moving forward look for opportunities things that inspire you you don't need nayia in your Camp only those that lift you up and inspire you but I invite you to go out to YouTube and just look for that poem is called it and his name is Hank Stewart and with that that concludes my presentation I hope I said something that someone can gain something from I'll be happy to entertain any questions that you may have at this time well Pam thank you so much for your inspiring words yes we are at time but we did get one question from the chat so I want to I want to ask you this and this question came from Dakota and she says my company does not have a formal Mentor program any ideas on how to find a mentor oh the first thing is go to management ask them why you don't have that program give them solution as to why would be beneficial to have mentors this is what we said taking on that challenge or opportunity because companies sometimes don't know what they don't know with qualified mentors within the company because there may be people that are just dying to tell you how they got to where they are that you can suggest that we start the company a mentoring program and as tell them the benefit of having a mentoring program because you can be benefit is being able to hire um move people up to the next level from within training them giving them the information so you can take the initiative for that mentor to actually get it started at your company because they don't have it and then once you do that and you able to get it and you have to do the research and Pull It in give all the information as to why you the company needs this and then present it to them and they could possibly do that but if you can't get that that you don't get that from your company then the mentor is finding your Mentor is somebody that particularly not so much that in the same field that you're in but people that you know friend and it could be even your manager um which you may not had ever sit down and have had that conversation with or a friend or um sometimes it could be uh people that you see that's in the same um area that you're in and you see their qualities and way they do things that handle things um in in difficult situation that you can go to them um I hope that answer your question I would I would love to see you bring it up to your company as a need but um that those are ways to get your yourself a mentor well Pam thank you so much for your time and your wonderful thoughts today well thank you so much for the opportunity yes thank you all well now