![]() |
![]() |
|
|
Ten Business Reasons Why Asking for Help Works
In fact, bringing your people - any of them - into your confidence and asking for help, is a very powerful tool indeed. The form of words' "I need your help", works best. Here are Ten Reasons why this is:- By asking an 'emotional' question you become very open and honest, which makes your people want to help you - this is a positive and not a 'feeling sorry' thing. It's a very natural reaction from them. Then they feel that you find at least something worthwhile in them - it makes them feels hugely valuable - inside. This helps bond your relationship and that of the team you are working with as a whole. By having someone help you it makes for much lighter work - 'a problem shared...' etc. And by helping them work through a tricky experience with you, they will develop and grow for the future. It's true! You are not the best at everything - nor do you need to be. In fact the very best managers and leaders surround themselves with people who are much better, in their own field, than they themselves are. That's the sign of a great manager or leader. By asking for help yourself, you will show others that this is an OK thing to do. Thus they will start to do the same. Needing help is a challenge, yet it is all the better if it opens up ways of working better, more supportively; more creatively together. Lead the way! Yes, it's OK too to have shortcomings. In fact that old model of the boss who knows everything and is just perfect was never true. By showing that you too have your ups and downs; have weaknesses, fears and doubts, makes you much closer to your people. (Hint - it's how they are feeling) Ever stopped to help an injured animal; or sooth a crying baby? How compelling was that vulnerability? When you need and ask for help, you are a much more interesting proposition. Your people will love you for it! As you take on board the support and help others give you, their ideas translate into brilliant solutions to the problems. By acknowledging the help you have been given and the real, better solutions they have shared, they will become much more confident - and a lack of confidence holds the whole world back. Better solutions to issues comes from collaboration. the "I need your help" may well not be confined to a one to one relationship. By requesting help from your whole team, you can leverage that whole relationship. But take care not to dilute the effect by blandly using this excellent tool - churning it out without real meaning. One to one works best - because intimate, close and appealing requests work best. As you have done the asking, you encourage others to 'coach' you! How cool is that - the coach being coached! Yet, this dialogue is full of incredible richness. In fact someone once wrote, "Business is just a series of conversations" - what a wonderful start to yours! Try it next time you need some help. Start small, with little challenges you have and build your and their confidence. Watch out for the massive changes you see in your relationships with others. Copyright 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.
(Note to editors. Feel free to use this article, wherever you think it might be of value - it would be good if you could include a live link)
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
RELATED ARTICLES
Business Innovation - Ignoring Content Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas. Why Employees Are the Best Source of Cost-cutting Ideas Cost cutting has become a necessary and important reality in the modern corporate world. Yet many executives do not realize that their people are actually the best source of cost reduction ideas. Driving of work trucks Each time you or one of your work crews cruises down the road, people see the vehicle. It is logo'ed and that advertising is there to be noticed. Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness Results of Poor Cross Cultural Awareness. Having a poor understanding of the influence of cross cultural differences in areas such as management, PR, advertising and negotiations can eventually lead to blunders that can have damaging consequences. Smart Choices: How to Hire the Best Your organization's continued growth and success depend on making smart choices and hiring the best. Today's economy is exploding with talent, allowing you to be selective about the staff you hire. Sarbanes Oxley 404 Compliance - How Nov. 15, 2004 Deadline Affects You Fast Relief for Sarbanes Oxley Section 404 ComplianceSection 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires management to confirm the effectiveness of their IT and financial controls in an "internal control report", which is contained within the annual report (10-K) issued to the public. But what exactly is an internal control report, and why is it important to you?The Section 404 Internal Control ReportFirst, the internal control report must affirm management's responsibility for controls and procedure, and second, it must contain an assessment of the effectiveness of the internal controls and procedures for financial reporting. Productivity Through Positive Reinforcement Most people just want to be appreciated. If you're a manager, that's something to seriously think about as you set the tone for maximum productivity. Knowledge Mapping This module focuses on the basics of Knowledge Mapping, its importance, principles, and methodologies.Key QuestionsWhat is K-map?What does the K-map show, and what do we map?Why is K-mapping so important?What are some of the key principles, methodologies, and questions for K-mapping?How do we create K-map?BackgroundEach of the past centuries has been dominated by single technology. Use QA As Your First Step To Outsourcing Quality Assurance, or QA, is often given short shrift in a software development organization, especially when budgets are tight. When debating the software development budget at one of my software companies, the CEO finally asked, "Well, do you really want to hire a QA guy, or a programmer to add features to the software?"It was a tough choice. How To Delegate for Fun and Profit Ah, the wretched pain of delegation. It comes easy to some people. How to Build Your Business and Still Take Time Off We all know people who are like human dynamos. They seem to make an art form of building their business and still enjoy quality time with friends and family. The Walmart Cult The CultBecoming a part of the Cult, consists of being recruited a member of the cult, as a person that can be relied on to assume responsibilities and accomplish all or almost all things requested.Depending upon the position you hold and the person that you are attached to the most, any position can be engaging and can be so different from any other experience that you have had prior to Walmart in almost any retail sector that you feel you are being chosen for great things. Strategies for Planning and Conducting Effective Meetings Did you know that business executives spend about half their time sitting in meetings? In fact, 40 to 50 percent of their working hours are consumed by meetings, according to a study by the Annenberg School of Communications at UCLA and the University of Minnesota's Training & Development Research Center.Meetings are inevitable - whether you're a business executive or member of a volunteer, social, or civic organization. What is Six Sigma? Six Sigma is a highly disciplined process focused on satisfying customers by delivering nearly perfect products and services. In today's competitive market, consistently maintaining satisfied customers is essential to growth and success. Change or Die! To Change Your Organization, Hire a Business Coach It is a common business axiom - change or die. As a small or mid-sized business owner or a manager, there will be times you will need to make changes in your organization but may not be sure how to go about it. In Leadership, The Critical Convergence Drives Great Results The Leader's Fallacy lives! We subscribe to the Fallacy when we believe our enthusiasm over a particular leadership challenge is automatically reciprocated by the people we lead.If ignorance is bliss then leaders going around blithely adhering to the Leader's Fallacy have cornered the market on happiness. The Truth? The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple. Oscar Wilde The truth. Whadda Jerk! If one does not understand a person, one tends to regard him as a fool. Carl Jung Sadly, public discourse today seems to have degenerated into warring parties spitting epithets at one another. Benefits of Virtual Assistance A virtual assistant is an individual who provides business services to other professionals. They're considered virtual because they perform their services from a remote location. Across The Interview Table! Job interviews are easier for the interviewer or the interviewee if you plan and prepare and use proper interviewing techniques. On this page are job interview questions and purpose of each interview question, because there is a purpose behind each and everything that we do and similarly there should be a purpose behind each and every question that we ask in interview. |