Instead of making a new year’s resolution, I chose a word to serve as my mantra for the year ahead: adaptability. As I enter into my personal and professional new year (FORWØRD‘s birthday is February 7 and mine is February 11), adaptability is the name of the game.
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of adaptable is “able to change or be changed in order to fit or work better in some situation or for some purpose; able to adapt or be adapted.”
In the professional arena, I’ve learned that adaptability is a valuable skill and trait to offer clients, employers and colleagues. Whether that’s pitching in to do something that isn’t in your job description, seeing a need and presenting solutions or simply going with the flow and being a team player. Some of the leaders and people I most admire exemplify this trait and it’s something I strive to cultivate within myself.
When I look back on my career so far, I can see that the times I was required to step outside my comfort zone or stretch the parameters of my defined role presented some of the biggest opportunities for growth and evolution. I understand many aspects of the destination marketing business from getting my hands dirty doing the doing along with avidly listening and observing. That practical foundation was enhanced as I became increasingly involved in helping to tell the story and shape the narrative on both the consumer and B2B sides. As a result of my collective professional experiences, I can seamlessly transition from big picture strategic thinking to the practical minutiae of making things happen.
When I first started as an independent contractor, I really struggled when asked to explain what I was doing for my two main clients (Visit California and Visit Santa Barbara). Partly because what I do for them is so varied and constantly changing, and partly because a straightforward label like “public relations” doesn’t adequately cover it and would undersell my skill set. The irony was not lost on me — struggling to communicate what I actually do, given I’m a professional communicator. A pitfall of adaptability?!
How do you sum up strategy development, marketing planning, creative brainstorming, writing/editing/messaging, project management, event production and media relations into a succinct elevator pitch? Further complicating the “short and sweet” description challenge, what I do for my clients spans disciplines including public relations, travel trade, corporate communications, industry relations, content marketing and leadership platforms.
For now, my temporary solution to my elevator pitch dilemma is, “I’m like special teams.” I’m letting go of the struggle to define what I do for a spell. Instead, I’ll let adaptability be my guide and focus on doing the doing while meeting my clients’ evolving needs. Nothing wrong with a work in progress!
