Deborah Elliott
“When I took the leap, I had faith I would find the net; instead I learned I could fly.” John Calvi
I believe that all roads lead to where you are. Looking back, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. (Well, perhaps one or two.)
The Lesson of Effective Time Management
In the late 1980s, when I was working for a large real estate development company on the Central Coast of California, our city hosted the first overnight stop of the Great American Race, an annual summertime rally for classic cars. My boss “volunteered” me for the organizing committee. The logistics alone were mind-boggling: police, fire, public works, security (these cars are worth a lot of money), sponsors, accommodations, Mickey Mouse and several of his Disney friends at the finish line (I kid you not) and the media… you get the picture. When the race reached its final destination of New York City, the driving teams voted for their favorite host cities. We came in second. I realized then that if I could pull this off, I could do anything.
The Lesson of Flexibility and Agility
In 1990 I became the publicist for the oldest and largest professional non-profit theater in the country. Here I learned the importance of excruciatingly clear and timely communications, which is critically important when working with people who operate out of the right side of their brain. I became adept at recognizing sudden and unexpected opportunities for free media coverage, and developed the agility to drop everything to take advantage of that opportunity in the moment. And I learned the value of “making friends” with the members of the Fourth Estate, of creating and nurturing trusting relationships that pay off in column inches.
The Lesson of Patience and Humility
In 2001 I joined a large health care system as their director of marketing and community relations. Much to my surprise, I discovered that I had the ability to walk into a situation, identify the problem, run through several possible solutions in my head, land on the most appropriate solution and be ready to act, before most people had recognized that a problem existed. This skill is handy in a crisis (and there are many of those in health care), but it does not create the environment for buy-in. Better to take a breath (or ten) and let everyone catch up. Chances are, they will eventually arrive at the same solution and, in the meantime, everyone feels involved in the decision-making process.
The Lesson of Love and Laughter
In the summer of 1999, seven fabulously funny women (including me) founded a comedy improv troupe. We created our Sacred Creed: Avoid profanity, graphic sexuality, gratuitous violence and the degradation of humankind. Here I discovered the joy of truly embracing diversity, of finding my way into the heart of every woman, man and child (and sometimes dogs) in the audience. I also learned to be daring and to just say, “Yes!” (I mean, really, what’s the worst that can happen?) And I reveled in the thrill of making my partner perfect – of focusing on someone else’s success more than my own.
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