Versatility

Versatility is power; it is a key; it is what keeps life interesting.

I have always striven to gain this in my life. Constant learning is one way I have been able to do this. By keeping up on news, politics and talking with a wide variety of people, I am able to converse with a wide variety of people.

The difference between my father and mother is stark. It is a wonder they got together in the first place. My father is a down-to-earth, "I live life the way I want to", bucket of knowledge. Then there is my mother, who is city girl, moving up the corporate ladder, focus on what I have in front of me.

Between the two of them, I have learned a delicate balance between two worlds not many people experience. I can be out in a scrap yard shooting the bull with workers and later on be in a meeting with the Board of Trustees at a university talking about budgets and upcoming strategies.

If people can learn this balance, I believe they will have so much more advantage when it comes to getting a job. This is one of the reasons I have never had a problem finding a job. I can work and adapt anywhere.

Adaptation is also very important. Not every environment is the same, not all people (management, co-workers, professors, etc.) are the same. We all have our own quirks and things that are important to us. Bosses will have different demands; co-workers will have different expectations; and in order to make a more harmonious relationship, we need to learn about those things that make each person unique.

Many times, these things involve doing your homework. Find out about people. What are their interests? What things can they bring to the table? Or how can they become more of an asset?

In her book, 'Pitch Like A Girl', Ronna Lichtenberg said: "The more you understand about their background, their goals, and their challenges, the more clearly you'll be able to articulate what they stand to gain by supporting you. People pay more for ideas, products, and services that fit their needs precisely. The more you know about those needs, the better a tailor you can be."

She goes on to point out: "Sometimes... We don't want to have to adapt to their business style and pay attention to their business needs. Why can't they, for once, adapt to us, be sensitive to our needs?

"... [However,] You may give up feeling good and groovy in any given moment, but what you get back in the trade-off is worth it: some power and control in the professional situation."

(For any given situation, you can replace 'business' with whatever word suits you best.)

There are obviously benefits for doing your homework. It will get you ahead in whatever you are doing. And I don't mean ahead in the job, but it can get you ahead in personal relationships or other related things.

One example I have from a few months ago is an e-mail I got from a boy. I had met him two weeks previous. In that brief moment, we had a nice conversation. In the end, however, we walked away without exchanging phone numbers.

I thought about it briefly over the next few weeks and figured I wouldn't ever see him again. Then I got the e-mail. He was asking me out and I thought "What the heck? Why not?"

We set up a date and over the course a week, I did some research. Being a journalist I have access to some databases and I looked him up. Unfortunately, I didn't find any good dirt, but at least I knew I wasn't going out with some crazed serial killer.

Do your homework, you will have so much the advantage in things to come.