The call I wasn't expecting

Last week I was in a meeting when my phone lit up with a number I didn't recognize. I let it go to voicemail. A minute later, a text: "Call me back as soon as you can." It was a police investigator.

I won't go into the details, but it meant a sudden change to who's helping run our household overnight, no warning.

On top of that, my previous boss who brought me into the company was let go and replaced by a new one who was parachuted in by head office.

As a result, last week's podcast episode didn't go out. I was mentally and emotionally too drained for it.

Things don't always go as planned

If you're a working mother like me, you know what it's like. Things just sometimes don't go as planned, no matter how much you prepare. This isn't the first time and it won't be the last.

But the thing that gets me back on track isn't motivation. It's a plan I've built before things go wrong.

The bigger lesson

For 30 years in HR, a core part of my job has been performance management. In other words, helping people get clear on what's actually essential versus what just feels urgent, and figuring out what's blocking someone from doing their best work.

I used that exact skill in the past week. When things fall apart, I'm don't ask "how do I fix everything." I ask, "what's the one thing I can't drop, and what can wait."

It's the same perspective I bring to how I think about income. Relying on one job is a single point of failure. I learned that the hard way, going from sole provider to zero income overnight.

Layoffs are common now. Reorganizations happen. Bosses change. None of that is in your control.

Instead, what's in your control is whether your income depends on one source or more than one. And the fastest way to start building additional income isn't a new job. It's using the skills you already have from your experience in a different context. Just like the skill I use in performance management to handle a difficult week.

What you can do to start

If you've spent years in one role, you already have a skill that's sellable outside your job. You've probably become so good at it that it's now invisible to you.

The first step to making more money from the skills and experience you already have is identifying the skill. You can do that with the Corporate Job Title Translator I created.

It walks you through turning your current job title into a skill you can sell outside your job without working extra hours or quitting your current job.

Get it HERE.

Sharon

This week on the podcast

I share more behind that call from the police in this week's podcast.

Listen on your favourite podcast player below.