Meet Geo Wagner

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Geo Wagner. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Geo below.

Geo, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?

For me, the important component in avoiding burnout is moderation. Sometimes you can get so fixated on the goal that you get on the wrong path or pulled into the weeds. If I find myself losing focus on the path, I take a step back and relax. Often the best solution only comes when you stop the tunnel vision that often happens when you are too fixated. The best path is not always the direct one. Thinking outside the box can find easier and better solutions. We often limit ourselves with the box and miss that solution just waiting outside. I have activities that relax me such as comedy, karaoke, and volleyball. I try to keep those times fixed. I try not to allow work to cut into the time. I need the down time, physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is often when I am relaxing that the answers will hit me. Even without that breakthrough, getting that time lets me view the my work with new eyes, definitely refreshed and more energetic.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

My main career is technology based. I enjoy puzzles and challenges, so support and development is a big part of what I do. It lets me combine my love of solving problems with my love for helping people. A line from Sherlock Holmes always resonated with me that guides my method of problem solving. When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” or in my case, the problem. My clients are more than just a customer, I have a vested interest in their success. While a positive for business, it is a symbiotic situation, the ultimate win/win. When my clients succeed, they are able to grow into new areas. They expand their knowledge and skills and they will need me to help My goal in business is to have a large number of clients that I see occasionally. No one wants to need technology support regularly, it is an expense most small and medium sized businesses cannot afford. For me, I have a low threshold for boredom, so it works better for me as well, allowing me to achieve more challenges. If I do my job right, I lose my job. I come in, solve a problem, and leave. I have had some clients for decades

Years ago, I started performing stand up comedy. It is definitely a means to deal with stress, but also to flex my creativity. Hopefully, it will also be an income producing activity. More recently, I have also expanded into acting. That, too, allows me to to expand my creative wings.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

My most useful quality in both business and personally is communication. It is the most useful skill I believe for any business. The better you can communicate, the easier it is for ideas to be conveyed and understood. It improves efficiency. The most important part of communication is to listen. Knowing the question is the first stop to answering it.

Critical thinking is also very useful. There is no situation that fails to benefit from critical thinking.

Kindness is often overlooked, but is definitely a needed skill and is in short supply. In business, many live by the dog eat dog mantra. That just ends of getting you one well fed dog. With kindness you get a village, supportive groups that work together to get things done. More importantly, kindness brings kindness.

Developing these traits and qualities can only be achieved with practice. Just make the decision to do it and keep doing it.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

I think the most important thing my parents did was to bring me up to have an open mind. To look at things from other people’s perspective. There are more than two sides to every story, it isn’t always black/white, yes/no, there are gray areas. Sometimes there may not be an answer, and that is ok. You just have to learn to deal with situations beyond your control. If you always have the answer, you probably are not listening. I was brought up to believe that there is always something to learn, something new, every day, if you pay attention.

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