Many people have those days when work feels tough; they find themselves exhausted, overwhelmed, overworked, or they even start questioning if they made the right career choice. To help with navigating the corporate world, we reached out to Mei Phing Lim, a professional career coach and former corporate leader who was happy to share her knowledge about healthy work-life balance, challenging colleagues or bosses and more.

Mei Phing has more than 10 years of experience working in corporate and is generously sharing her expertise with people who want to “enjoy clarity, confidence and happiness in their careers”. She has led multimillion-dollar projects and worked with teams from over 43 countries. Nowadays, she helps 9-5 professionals grow their careers. You can learn more here. Scroll down to read the whole interview!

Finding the right balance between work and personal life is not that easy sometimes, so we were curious to know how someone can maintain a healthy work-life balance without being seen as a workaholic or lazy. Mei Phing told us that setting boundaries at work does not make one a bad person - “it just means you are focused on delivering your performance targets in the most efficient and effective way.”

Are you someone that ends up working long hours and/or on weekends? Mei Phing revealed that it happens to a lot of people because they lack clarity on their performance goals, and spend hours dealing with unimportant small tasks. “Set up an alignment meeting with your boss to confirm you're focused on the right priorities and a monthly session to ensure you're progressing in the right direction.”

Mei Phing is a host of the “Corporate Survivor” podcast where she shares useful tips for those wanting to navigate the corporate world and thrive. Check out her Youtube videos on how to start a new job or career change and “7 tips for starting a new job”.

Since we spend most of our time working, it's important to find happiness and fulfillment in our jobs. But with the stress of work and the "Monday blues," it can be tough to stay positive and motivated. According to Mei Phing, choosing the right job for this time of your life is the most important decision you make before signing the job offer. “Firstly, determine what you want at this point. A higher salary? A better job title? A broader learning experience? Getting clarity on what you're looking for will give you the inner motivation to start, adapt and perform at your best - you're progressing towards your bigger career goals!”

Useful links: 

Choosing your next job without jobhopping (YouTube)

Should you pursue a Masters degree? (YouTube)

Have you ever found it tough to communicate or work effectively with your colleagues? It's a common challenge many of us face when we're working closely with others. We asked Mei Phing for some advice on how to navigate these tricky situations. She told us that it is important to acknowledge that some people are just different from you - personality, communication styles or working habits - and it's normal to get a little frustrated from time to time. “I've found it helpful to understand my colleagues' work priorities and how I can best align them with my own performance targets. Identifying a common goal, no matter how small, is the best way to collaborate at the workplace.”

Useful links: 

How to deal with toxic people problems at work (YouTube)

3 people you'll meet at every job (YouTube)

Do you ever find yourself doubting your abilities or feeling a lack of confidence in the workplace? You are not alone! Even Mei Phing, an accomplished professional, openly shared that she faced some struggles at the beginning of her own journey. “I started my career as a shy, quiet and introverted fresh graduate who had no idea what to expect at the workplace. Over the years, I've learned that the best way to build confidence is to first gain clarity on how I'm adding value at work, then focus on building my core skills including communication skills, relationship-building, critical thinking and productivity. When I know what I can deliver, I feel confident about myself!”

Useful links: 

7 advice I wished I knew before starting my career (YouTube) 

From a confused fresh graduate to confident corporate leader (YouTube)

Discover more valuable insights about career growth from Mei Phing by exploring her engaging content on meiphing.com, Instagram and YouTube.