D Patrick Georges – författare

You have no financial or medical concerns and you get to be Head of State one day, but you got to hand over your kids to their grandparents when they are one year old. How would you like to live in such a paradise, son?

Decades after his godfather told him this bizarre story, the author--a businessman and professor of management with no interest whatsoever in metaphysics--felt he could no longer keep to himself such visions of future heaven or hell. To write and publish a book is an uphill battle, rarely leading to success. But to con somebody else to write and publish a book surely would deserve the Nobel Prize in perseverance. Such a prize is now posthumously awarded to the author''s godfather, Anthony. It took him a total of 64 years in life and death to make his unstoppable resolve to get this book written and published a reality.

In 1931, it seemed that Anthony had made it. The owner of two thriving businesses, he now had time to indulge in his passion in the form of a hobby: cars. He chanced upon the decaying carcass of a 1918 one-ton Ford Model TT truck that a farmer used as a chicken coop. The master auto mechanic in him urged him to restore it to its former glory. He rented a large garage near the center of town and with a true collector''s detachment began scavenging the area for parts.

Without warning, Anthony''s happy life started unraveling the following year. At first he acted as if absent-minded. Slowly he started losing interest in his work, including his love for cars. He started going to work late and leaving early. Much to the worry of relatives and close friends, he slept every night in the garage, while his visits to his fiance''s house all but stopped. By early 1933 his businesses started sliding into the red. Too honest not to pay his workers, he defaulted on payments to creditors who soon forced him into bankruptcy. As one might expect, his would-be father-in-law gave him a royal dressing down and--much to his daughters chagrin--broke off the engagement.

When asked what was wrong, Anthony would reply vaguely that he was visiting another planet where he saw wondrous things that put life on Earth to shame. He began to criticize living and working conditions on Earth, both as he knew them by experience and as he learned about them in those days'' media: the press, movies, theater, radio and stories of travelers to other countries. At the same time he changed his appearance and behavior to conform to the standards in force on what he called "that other planet." Needless to say, his antics soon earned him the status of the neighborhood idiot. His friends, even some of his relatives, avoided him like the plague while some openly ridiculed him.

Though far from being convinced about the merits of Anthony''s tale, the author confessed that as he gained more education and experience, he began to notice the conviction with which his godfather talked about his improbable experience. No doubt to him it was the real thing. There must be some merit in his godfather''s tale for two rock-solid reasons, he concluded. First, no man with an eighth-grade education could dream up sophisticated socio-political systems such as those he described as existing on "that other planet." And second, even if he could, he would not have been consistent in his storytelling.

Convinced that his godfather''s tale should somehow be preserved--though at that time he had no clear reason in mind--the author decided to take a week''s vacation and debrief Anthony in a comprehensive, systematic way, much like a research project. Long after Anthony''s death and with the encouragement of business associates, unwittingly the process started that enabled the author to finally deliver the promise he gave his grossly misunderstood godfather on the latter''s death bed: to write and p

Soulsmiths, Mystery Spot, Reiki, Timeline, Huna, Neuro-linguistic Programming?

With humankind anxiously standing on the threshold of a new millennium, the quest we see before us is for the path to a more soulful life. This book narrates an adventure from California and New Mexico to Bangkok in pursuit of the elusive spiritual secret to life.

Disappointed by the lack of direction plaguing our times, a group of Western knowledge seekers attend a cultural event in Bangkok conducted by a wise Asian. For seven days they hang on his every word while learning the Seven Secrets of the Lotus, with many erotic and exotic experiences in a tapestry of Thailand as background.

The seekers leave Bangkok convinced they are ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. But are they? The return flight becomes a turnaround flight and crash lands at a train station at the moment of the departure of the last train, the "Train of the Fifth Era."

We are all familiar with the glass ceiling blocking womens access to top corporate positions. But there is another largely unknown glass ceiling that blocks both womens and mens efforts to achieve optimum results. It is made up of invisible factors such as expectations, beliefs and the energy needed to carry out ones plans and decisions. By now, even kids know the habits of highly effective people, but what about their secret habits?

This book is the result of research conducted following the frustration caused by the authors inability to answer certain irritating questions faced during his 30-year career as manager and consultant.

Why, despite conscientious efforts, sometimes effective managers fail to achievecertain attainable goals?

Why do intelligent and educated people sometimes say or do dumb things?

What is the use of sending people to training courses, if they do not expect to derive any benefits or do not believe they are capable of improving performance?

What is the importance and interrelationship of self-image and self-esteem in personal development?

Are there ways of improving managerial performance other than by using conventional management skills?

Could improved performance perhaps be attained by tapping into the vast resources of the unconscious mind?

Such questions, coupled with the painful shock caused by downsizing and outsourcing organizations and a diminishing sense of job security, have also made increasing numbers of people seek answers and comfort within themselves. As well, an increasing number of people expect work to provide them not only with a paycheck, but also with fulfillment. And it is not only individuals who seek to access the vast resources that may exist within each one of us. Major corporations have begun looking for ways to improve the bottom line through spirituality, while the Spirituality in the Workplace theme now appears on business conference agendas.

But do we need gurus at work? Empirical evidence suggests that fulfillment and creativity are related to an energy source commonly referred to as "spirit." Apparently, results of using traditional management tools may be enhanced, if we marshal our latent mental energies and incorporate new approaches to performance management, focusing on factors that may help us smash the unconscious glass ceiling blocking the achievement of optimum results.

Businesses, training organizations, government agencies and the media have been following the movement towards exploration of inner space, a topic that--regardless of preconceived notions and skeptics reservations--merits the attention of business leaders. Spirituality is a sensitive issue, and some workers already resent such corporate programs because they consider them an intrusion into their private spiritual world.

The Executive Guru may serve as a down-to-earth guide for those interested in examining complementary ways of developing their potential or dealing with the rapid changes and stresses of our times. It is written in parable form, hopefully making it an easier read than a straight-forward management book after a hard day at work. The story is that of an effective manager baffled by requests from staff to attend off-site training courses with mystifying names: Huna, Neurolinguistics, Reiki, Timeline Programming. He seeks advice from a guru who surprisingly provides him with businesslike answers backed by scientific evidence. The manager is convinced that there is more out there than meets the eye and decides to add the gurus lessons to his arsenal of management tools.

Reading management books and attending conventional training courses may have helped you to take charge of your work by using more effective managerial skills. This book will provide you with businesslike ideas on complementary approaches to increased creativity, personal development and fulfillment

Many men dream of living out their James Bond fantasy, the screen version: exotic travel, adventure, hot women, and icy martinis shaken not stirred. Reality proves different as an innocent quest for a simpler, more spiritual life turns into a nightmare as two seekers, ordinary Americans, stumble across the path of the covert operations of two world powers and become unwilling spies. The story takes the reader initially through a womans journal from the most complex concepts regarding the mind/body/spirit known to man, to the outer nether world of the shadow government, all governments in fact, and the ruling classes.

Accused by the woman he loves of using and betraying her, the damned hero of the story finds himself haunted by agents of the shadow government as he runs from Bora Bora seeking sanctuary off the gringo trail in Saudi Arabia. There, under the guidance of a top American lobbyist working for a Saudi billionaire, he assesses his options and composes an apology to his lost love. In the process he discovers the dirty truths of machinations behind the faade of democracy, equality, human rights and other myths.Patrick wrote this book in response to requests by readers of his book The Train of the Fifth Era, who found the concepts and practices described in that book useful, but could not put them to good use, because habits are all but impossible to change. In this book Patrick presents his Noosomatic model that provides some answers in the form of non-psychoanalytic approaches to changing beliefs, habits and expectations. The book also deals with contemporary issues such as the deep roots of the Enron scandal in the context of recent geopolitical developments.

While researching the topic of Huna for the book, Patrick spent time in Polynesia. It was in the garden isle of Kauai that he encountered the mystery of the Menehune: a mythical race that nevertheless left behind a series of tangible ruins whose technical perfection defies comprehension inwhat European explorers defined asa Stone Age setting. As if lifted from the Parthenon, the perfectly faced and fitted stones of the Menehune aqueduct defy scholarly explanation, while a plain metal pole sign and a modest stone tablet mark one of the most important ruins in the world. Thus, to practical hints on habit changing, Patrick added his interpretation of how these mind-boggling works came into being.

The cold, hard facts to back up the truths that hold this work together, the lavish descriptions of some of the most beautiful parts of the world, some of the most beautiful people, and the heros experience of the more spectacular aspects of civilization on the planet make for a rich, riveting story that holds ones interest through to the very end. Though primarily a self-help book, Smarter than Snakes is also a novel that leaps off the page to entice and enthrall, and makes for a great deal of just plain enjoyment.

Many men dream of living out their James Bond fantasy, the screen version: exotic travel, adventure, hot women, and icy martinis shaken not stirred. Reality proves different as an innocent quest for a simpler, more spiritual life turns into a nightmare as two seekers, ordinary Americans, stumble across the path of the covert operations of two world powers and become unwilling spies.

The story takes the reader through the nether world of the shadow government, all governments in fact, and the ruling classes.Accused by the woman he loves of using and betraying her, the damned hero of the story finds himself haunted by agents of the shadow government as he runs from Bora Bora seeking sanctuary off the gringo trail in Saudi Arabia. There, under the guidance of a top American lobbyist working for a Saudi billionaire, he assesses his options and composes an apology to his lost love. In the process he discovers the dirty truths of machinations behind the faade of democracy, equality, human rights and other myths.

The cold, hard facts to back up the truths that hold this work together, the lavish descriptions of some of the most beautiful parts of the world, some of the most beautiful people, and the heros experience of the more spectacular aspects of civilization on the planet make for a rich, riveting story that holds ones interest through to the very end.

Though primarily a fruit of extensive research, So Long America is also a novel that leaps off the page to entice and enthrall, and makes for a great deal of just plain enjoyment.

NOTE: So Long America is a condensed version of the book Smarter than Snakes that Patrick wrote in response to requests by readers of his book The Train of the Fifth Era, who found the concepts and practices described in that book useful, but could not put them to good use, because habits are all but impossible to change. In Smarter than Snakes Patrick presented his Noosomatic model that provides some answers in the form of non-psychoanalytic approaches to changing beliefs, habits and expectations. As a result, Smarter than Snakes reached 586 pages covering essentially two different areas of interest: personal growth and sociopolitical issues such as the deep roots of the Enron scandal in the context of recent geopolitical developments.

Though sociopolitical awareness is part of personal growth, a number of readers, despondent about the systematic demolition of social justice in the United States, skimmed over the part on non-psychoanalytic approaches to get to the issues threatening their quality of life. Thus Patrick adapted and transformed the book into a shorter, separate book he called So Long America.

In their 30-year business experience the authors faced a continuous need to develop people. They found that managers and training professionals encountered difficulties in efforts to critically examine performance improvement opportunities and in exploring the ingredients of individual performance.

Traditional approaches such as skills training, even when based on the findings of job analyses and job knowledge surveys, often failed to significantly affect individual performance. Facing questions such as "why do competent and motivated managers sometimes fail to achieve certain realistic and well-planned objectives?" the authors felt the need for a more comprehensive approach to human resource development (HRD). Such an approach would include a set of factors that, seen as related to spirituality in the workplace, traditionally were largely ignored. These were personal factors, such as beliefs and self-image, which did not allow some people to utilize new skills taught at traditional training courses.

Following academic and field research the authors developed a new HRD model for which they coined the term Synolic from the Greek "synolos," meaning complete or all together. The new model was presented in an article entitled "The Synolic Approach to Human Resource Development," published in the British management journal Executive Development (Vol. 8, No. 2, 1995).

This book represents the authors effort to respond to requests for how-to techniques for utilizing the Synolic model. They opted to write it in allegory form to make it easier to read after a hard day at work. It tells the story of a promising and ambitious young human resources professional who is frustrated by the reluctance of a crusty marketing manager to utilize her impeccable HRD services. In search of answers, our heroine travels from New Jersey to London and returns ready to abandon her traditional HRD role and instead serve as performance consultant to the business units. As a narrative nonfiction book The Synolic Manager may be read as an introduction to the concept of a comprehensive approach to development of self or others. The Appendix may be used as a workbook for specific performance improvement and for career or retirement planning.