It's not often that a prerequisite for a career or a promotion is a personal caregiving experience. I think, though, that it should. Here's why:

1. We budget effectively, somehow making not quite enough be enough.


2. We negotiate. We negotiate with our help, our caree's providers and our carees. We negotiate so much that we naturally look for a win-win whenever we engage in a conversation.


3. You manage a diverse team. The physical therapist, the direct care worker, the visiting nurse, your siblings. You learn about different cultures and belief systems which makes you a great manager for today's workplace culture.


4. You empathize with others others can't understand. You get that life's challenges sometimes can't be explained which is why you simply know when another is going through a rough time. The empathy you offer comforts. Who wouldn't want to work with a colleague like that?


5. You brainstorm out of the box like no one else. What seems impossible to others is an inconvenience for you that's resolved through a commitment to trial and error. You make the way by keeping the faith.


6. You lead others through challenges and difficulties, taking the helm while others look away. You show the way by looking right at reality and then continuing.


7. Your time management skills ensure projects, decisions and people arrive on time. When you hit a delay, you communicate the plan to get back on time.


8. You have staying power, perhaps one of the most valuable skills you own. While others scatter because a responsibility seems too hard or overwhelming, you remain. You stay through difficulty after difficulty, challenge after challenge. You know how to stay.

What would you add to my list?

Resources

• Your Greatest Skill: You Know How


• 17 Reasons Why Caregiving Makes You Awesome


• 15 Reasons You Make the World Better


• Webinar: Using Caregiving to Help Your Career

(Note: What to transform your personal experience into a career? Our Certified Caregiving Consultant™ training requires a personal caregiving experience for two reasons. One, you understand what a caregiving experience can be like. Two, you'll stay with a client regardless of how difficult the challenges your client faces. Those two reasons are great gifts you give your clients. Through December 2, save 25% on any of our training programs with coupon code Friday.)