People often ask me, “Hillary, how do you balance your corporate job and running Simple Harmonic?” I’m not going to say it’s an easy task, but these two aspects of my life are actually more intertwined than you might think. In fact, I recently earned a promotion at work, and the lessons I’ve learned and skills I’ve built within my business greatly contributed to my growth in both areas. Whether you’re a 9-to-5’er, an entrepreneur, a side-hustler, or something else entirely, these skills will help you reach whatever your next level looks like. They certainly did for me!
Self-Awareness
Austrian business consultant Peter Drucker once wrote, “You can’t manage what you don’t measure”. This advice can apply to a ton of contexts – finance, fitness, and career, to name a few. An often-overlooked application of awareness is all about you: how you feel, act, and react in various situations. Emotional intelligence is incredibly important both in the workplace and in coaching. But it was in the context of my coaching business that I finally began to focus inward to improve how I was showing up for my clients and audience, with the help of my own mindset coach. This self-awareness improved by ability to self-regulate in stressful situations, support my team more effectively, and get super clear on my goals.
Public Speaking
Before I launched Simple Harmonic, I was pretty comfortable labelling myself as an introvert. I’d shy away from presentations, knowing that I’d typically turn bright red, stumble over my words, and struggle through the entire experience. I’ll stick to email, thank you very much! Promoting my business on social media completely changed the game for me. I started out with text captions, then pre-recorded videos, then private webinars, then Instagram Live… Over time, my comfort level with speaking off the cuff grew. I developed a whole new outlook on public speaking. Today, I’m much happier presenting and training within my corporate job than a year ago. Who knew Instagram would have such a positive impact?
Listening
If you’re not super familiar with coaching, let me fill you in: it’s all about active listening. Sure, it’s tempting to try and solve your client’s problems and give all the “answers” up front. But the fact is, the biggest transformations in coaching are the ones borne of powerful questions and self-discovery. This is a skill I’ve worked on since launching Simple Harmonic, and have been further refining inside my coach training with Inner Glow Circle in 2021. Spoiler alert: negotiation, team-building, interviewing, receiving feedback, and many more workplace situations are also predicated on good listening skills. Building my listening skills has a coach helped me to become a more powerful communicator, teammate, and leader at work.
Time Management & Prioritization
There’s nothing like a side hustle to kick your butt into gear and make sure you focus on what’s most important! I’ve always been pretty on my game with my schedule, but running my business really helped me narrow down on the most impactful tasks that I could fit into the the time I had available. Plus, coaching my clients through similar time management struggles helped to reinforce these lessons for me on every single call. As the old saying goes, “To teach is to learn twice”! At work, I got better at prioritizing the most impactful tasks and projects, while improving my work-life balance. Earning this promotion reinforced my new belief that success doesn’t mean burning the candle at both ends. It’s about burning the right candles, at the right times. (A bit of a stretch on the metaphor, but you get the idea!)
Confidence
For a bit of context, my promotion comes with a fancy new title: Director. Let me tell you, the imposter syndrome is real. But thanks to the experiences of running my coaching business over the past year and a half, I’ve gotten used to stretching my comfort zone and building my confidence in the face of self-doubt. Here are some examples:
- Investing in my business and my own personal development
- Building a coaching program from scratch, complete with calls, workbooks, and resources
- Booking a personal branding photoshoot, complete with professional photography, hair, and makeup
- Promoting my services online for the world to see (y’all, this was terrifying)
- Launching freebies and courses to support clients in different stages of their lives
- Diving head-first into Instagram Reels and, eventually, TikTok
- Speaking in Facebook groups and virtual conferences
A common phrase in the coaching industry is “New levels, new devils”. No matter how high you climb, your next level will always test your confidence. And in these situations, it’s helpful to look back on all the incredible things you have already conquered. Whether it’s in work, business, or life in general, building your confidence can simply look like getting used to the space outside your comfort zone.
Which of these skills will you focus on building to earn your next promotion – or reach whatever your next level looks like? Let me know in the comments!
