It’s all about hard work, stick-to-ittiveness, and determination. I was fortunate to have a mentor, as I began my career path, who insisted upon fully completed staff work. No detail was too small to consider. I have rewritten a single report a dozen times until I felt it was right, only to have missed details pointed out. Instead of throwing up my hands, I would take a deep breath, tear up the old report, and start fresh.

I was also willing to follow the next opportunity. I applied for, then accepted, promotions frequently. I moved from the East Coast to the West Coast, then up the West Coast, then down the West Coast. Every new position was an opportunity to learn more and demonstrate that I could do the job effectively and efficiently.

If I did not have all of the skills I felt necessary to carry out the duties of my job, I would research and study to add to my knowledge about particular areas of interest within the job. During my 25 years with Social Security, I took over 25 management and supervisory courses. There were few new management approaches that I had not studied and had available to use to enhance my participation in the work place.

Later, as the owner/operator of a small business, I sometimes worked 12 or more hours per day, doing everything from planting trees to filling out tax forms for quarterly returns. I had to be willing to do any and all jobs to make it work.