What Can We Learn About Skills From Everything, Everywhere, All At Once

Clever uses of fanny packs, highly choregraphed fight scenes, and increased lung capacity are some transferable skills that I had never contemplated would be the result of my deep reflection after watching Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. The depth of meaning in the critically acclaimed and Academy Award winning movie is profound, touching on topics including unfulfilled dreams, generational trauma, Chinese-American family dynamics, complex mother-daughter relationships, amidst complete absurdity, such as hot dog fingers, pet rocks, googly-eyes, and everything bagels. What came to me that I was not expecting, however, was the notion of using previously acquired, transferrable skills to release inertia and rethink how we move forward in the world. As a someone who geeks out on the dynamics of leadership, crafting meaning in one’s career, and creating positive relationships within the workplace, the concept of listing and inventorying skills and using them at will and in context is more relevant than ever. The characters’ abilities to refer to another multi-verse and, on-demand, leverage needed skills, at the moment is something we all can learn from, as we all have untapped strengths and talents we can bring to the workplace. 

While we aren’t at a point where we can “verse-jump” and gain whatever skill we want or need, we should recognize that we have far more transferrable skills and talents than we think we have.  Evelyn tapped into her culinary skills, sign spinning prowess, and martial arts to use on her quest to stop Jobu Tupaki. Although our skills and talents are certainly different from Evelyn’s (we likely won’t find ourselves needing to leverage martial arts skills to save the world), we tend to devalue the skills and strengths we have that makes us good at what we do. Instead, we think in work task rather than skills used to complete the work task. Think about a particular job task that you excel at?  What skills make up that job task? For me, I have a knack of creating linear structures out of abstract, theoretical or often unstated needs. That helps me create process flows, learning journeys, and implementation plans. Whether or not I stay in my current role and current context of leadership development, that skill could go with me anywhere. What strengths and skills do you have that can easily port from one job or industry to the next?  How might you articulate and market that skill, whether it’s in your resume, social media profile, or cover letter?  At least we won’t have to do something weird or ridiculous to harness your inherently born talents or previously acquired skills!

Another theme that the movie highlighted was about specialization vs. generalization. When we try to be everything, everywhere, all at once, it’s hard to be anything. And in fact, doing too much at once might break us. In the movie, there was a joy of watching the normal characters to extraordinary skills. There’s an evocative term out there I won’t share in this blog, but who didn’t root for Waymond when he used his fanny pack to kick some butt out of IRS security personnel? While we are not superheroes, we have superpowers that make us unique, impressive, and brilliant. What overlooked, underpaid or undervalued skill do you possess, and where could that be relevant in the workplace? The call center agent who is a great listener is likely a great listener with her friends, her family, and others. Could there be a future for her as a digital wellbeing coach, a job trend that is on the rise?

This movie touches people on many levels, which is why it’s so appealing. I was caught off guard to know I’d be writing a work-related blog on it, but here we are. Among paper cuts, laundromats, and tax audits, we can look beyond and see a film that gives us more to think about in our professional and personal lives and how we tap into our own greatness and potential.