Asking for Help is Good!
For many of us, asking for help feels like we’ve failed. In some cultures (national and corporate), this is even true.
For anyone to ask for help means, admitting a weakness or flaw. Whilst this is a somewhat skewed perspective, it is nonetheless the case. From a very early age, we’re conditioned to be independent, to solve our own problems, not to inconvenience others (I’m guilty of this!), to be the best we can. Asking for help goes against all this conditioning.
Look at the best performing teams: what do they all have in common? Answer: they work together effectively; they trust each other; they know each other’s areas of strength, and leverage them, but know their weaknesses and support them.
No one these days can expect to be “all things to all people”. With life’s ever-growing complexity, we need to rely on each other more.
Back to the original title of this article: asking for help is good. What it shows is that the person asking knows they need help, they are not afraid to admit they have a problem, they want to improve, and help the team and they trust their team. How many cases of stress and “burnout” have we seen/heard about caused by people not daring to ask fort the help they so desperately need?
Another possibility, depending on the nature of help requested, is that it may indicate an area for improvement in the way that an organisation does things. We all hate to change, sometimes change is a good thing, as long as it improves conditions for both workers and customers. “Change for change’s, sake“ is neither necessary, welcome, nor cheap!
What might it mean when people in our organisation feel they can’t or shouldn’t ask for help? It may indicate a toxic work culture where lack of trust and an unhealthy competitive atmosphere. Team tasks may take longer to complete, be delivered late or not in the form needed.
How do we encourage people to ask for help and to understand that such requests will not be seen as signs of fail ability to be punished?
I’ve spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With a wealth of international experience in international financial services around the world running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email. My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Leadership, Productivity, Teamwork
posted by William Martin @ 08:54
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