I am a stay-at-home mom and it has been many years since I have been in the work force. I admire working moms because they have to juggle their job, family, fitness, and more! My friend Katie is an inspiration to me with her passion and love for her family, fitness and successful work ethic. While I am on vacation, I asked her to share with us some of her wisdom.
She is a successful working mom, and has decided to share with us 5 lessons to learn from a corporate mom. These are amazing tips whether you are a working mom, a stay-at-home mom or just wanting and needing some motivation to succeed in life.
Hi! I’m Katie from Mom’s Little Running Buddy and I am so excited to be here! When Rachel asked me to guest post I started thinking long and hard about what I could talk about that would be important and fun while also giving you a glimpse inside our life.
Then it hit me during a conference call the other day…as a runners and athletes, we’re driven. We set a goal and achieve it! We push ourselves to limits we didn’t know we could reach. As mothers care and nurture our children giving them all the love we can. As women, we tend to need a little help with a few things and not that I’m an expert but I see these as my own personal weaknesses.
In my day job, I work in a leadership position in a large corporate. I look a little different and I even talk a little different. Every phone call, every conversation forces me to work on these 5 lessons and I think they are important for all of us to at least hear.
5 Lessons To Learn From a Corporate Mom
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Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want – You won’t know until you ask and contrary to popular belief, rejection is not all that horrible. You learn from it and when you do get whatever it is that you asked for, you will feel so empowered!
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Be Confident – Sounds easy enough but think about it, we all have self doubt but when it interferes with your day, it’s a problem. I am challenged all the time and part of what allows me to have the tough conversations is the self confidence that people can see.
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Be your own advocate as well as you are your own critique – In the corporate world, you have to promote yourself, no one knows what you did as well as you but if you down play your accomplishments, writing them off in some ways, you are really selling yourself short.
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Ask For Help – Every mom can relate to this but it means so much in the corporate environment too. You can’t do it all and part of what we all have to learn as we grow up is how to delegate, how to ask for help and then how to let them help. It’s not a sign of weakness it’s a sign of strength.
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Know Your Limitations – Kind of in line with #4, knowing your limitations is also an extremely valuable thing. Knowing your limitations makes you that much smarter about attacking them or about asking for help. I’m not saying know them and then never try to change it. I’m saying…figure out what they are then rip them to shreds!!
If there’s one thing we as women need to do is exude the strength we know we have! I think that’s why I love fitness blogging…showing strength in that arena comes easy…it’s other parts of our lives where it becomes a little more difficult but it doesn’t have to be.
Let that strength show!! You will be surprised how many doors it opens!
What do you need to work on? Are you confident?
Have you voted today the #RWCoverContest yet? I would love your vote!
Running Hutch says
Great lessons, Katie. It took me some time to feel able to ask for what I want, and I’m not always comfortable doing it, but I never regret it when I do…even when I don’t get what I ask for. There is something empowering about having the courage to say what you want simply and unapologetically. I need to be better about asking for help and knowing my limitations, though. 🙂
Rachel says
I am totally with you on the needing to be better at asking for help and knowing my limits also. I am not superWOMAN ya know. 😉
Deborah Brooks @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
Those are good tips for all of us in any work or even personal relationship. If you don’t ask for what you want you will never get it.
Rachel says
Yes! I had that same take-a-way too! 🙂
Carlee C says
Asking for help is a big one for all Moms. I think we feel like we have to prove something by taking it all on. It is not a sign if weakness, the entire family should be willing to help and be a part of the process.
Rachel says
Yes. Love it! It is not weakness… it is a strength.
Scott says
I tell my wife all the time that if you want something, you just have to ask for it. If you don’t ask, the other party may never offer it!
Rachel says
Yes. Communication is key! 🙂
Debra says
As a corporate mom myself – I live by these rules at work. I have to apply them more at home – especially asking for help. I feel that I need to be supermom and do it all. If I can do it with my workload at work, why not with the workload at home!
Rachel says
Yes! Way to go! 🙂
Kasandria Reasoner says
LOVE these tips. Especially asking for help. Sometimes we forget to do that.Kas
Steph says
Love this article. It is so, so, so true. We have a voice and we need to use it. I’m not shy about using my voice in my working environment. It doesn’t always get me what I hope for but at the same time, I have been able to set clear boundaries for myself.
Patty @ Reach Your Peak says
love these tips – especially about being your own advocate. I find that I downplay accomplishments when it comes to running. Someone asks me what my marathon time is and I’ll be like, well only 4:50 so not anything fast. But I need to remind myself that I ran 26.2 miles and that’s not an easy feat no matter what you’re time! Thanks for that reminder 🙂