ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
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)
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Innovation Management ? Time to Market or Time to Success? Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. Delegation for Business Leaders - How Letting Go Works A leader's role is to focus on those areas of operation where he or she can deliver the greatest value and this requires huge shifts in perspective of the role. Leaders differ from managers in terms of accountability. Get It Done! Soft Skills not Hard Tools are Required If your organization has people, then interpersonal skills are needed. Guidelines For Conducting A Good Meeting Okay, so you've figured out what kind of meeting is needed, you've planned well and you have all the right materials. How about the meeting itself? How can you be sure the meeting you've so carefully planned and prepared actually comes off as expected? Why Would Anyone Hold a Bad Meeting? Pssst, want a stock tip that will make you rich? Okay, here it is: phone a public corporation and ask to speak with the CEO. Its Not Always What You Say A major source of communication breakdowns is incongruence between the words that people say and the nonverbal signals that they send, largely because we lose sight of the fundamental truth: You cannot not communicate. Every second that we are in the presence of another, we are constantly sending and receiving messages, often silent, nonverbal messages that can either augment our communication effectiveness or detract from it. These non-word symbols are the first things we notice about others and the first things they notice about us. They provide information about gender, age, preferences, emotions, and group membership. Understand What Flows Through Your Business to Find Improvement I remember once seeing a cartoon which showed two people working a counter. On the wall behind them was a sign which read, "Quality Work, Low Price, Fast Service ? Pick Two." In order to deliver all three, which is what customers expect, it's important to understand the flows of your organization. Executive Humor at Meetings I don't encourage managers to wear funny hats, appear in self-deprecating skits, or otherwise emulate Saturday Night Live in an attempt to manufacture an image as, "Look, folks! I'm just one a' the guys!" If clients insist, I do what I can to help. I want the money. But it's not usually such a hot idea. Oasis in a Cash Flow Desert - Four Resources That Increase Small Business Capital Streams For small business owners, an enthusiastic vision for smooth, steady growth can become nothing more than a mirage once company cash flow problems begin to heat up. Most will struggle with the timing of payment from clients or customers at some point, all while attempting to pay their own bills in a timely fashion. With all of the best laid plans for rapid flowing cash streams evaporating down to just a gurgle in the ditch, the potential risk of joining the ninety-percent of businesses that fail within their first three years of operation becomes a very sobering possibility. What Your Employees Want You to Know (But You Might Be Afraid to Ask) This is a challenge for every company owner and manager. You have tremendous plans for growth and expect a lot of your employees. But do you know if the company is meeting your best employees' expectations? Are you providing the type of environment that supports high productivity and high quality? Do you really want to know? Innovation Management ? some ideas are better than others Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. What to Do When Trust is Low Trust is essential. You can't run a business without it. Customers leave. Risk taking evaporates. You find yourself surrounded by naysayers ? or worse ? yes men and women. No one dares tell the truth. Departments put up barricades creating fortresses inside your castle. Recruitment - Do You Know What Youre Looking For? The time will come when you'll need to interview someone to join your business or your existing team. If you work in a large organisation then this could be someone from inside the company. You might even be the owner of a small business and about to start your first employee. Whatever the situation, you're going to have to make a decision about whether this person is suitable for the job or not. Six Honest Business Friends - They Guide Me In All I Do SIX "HONEST BUSINESS FRIENDS" - THEY GUIDE ME IN ALL I DO Creativity Management and Behaviour What behaviour maximises the chances of thinking of great ideas? What behaviour maximises the ability to nurture ideas until they begin to reveal their potential? Difficult Staff - It Pays To Get To Know Them Better It's very easy for a business owner or manager to fall into the trap of condemning one of their team as a no-hoper or a problem child. Profound Knowledge We all are on a quest for knowledge. Whether its information that will make our lives easier or just small packets of data that in a trivial way allows us to sort out "why things are the way they are on this planet." As intelligent beings we are constantly receiving and sorting information, in most instances, we are overwhelmed. Therefore, when relevant information arrives that is meaningful, concise and thought provoking, we have a tendency to reflect on this data for the principles and guidance that it offers. Here are seven insights that are worthy of the title Profound Knowledge. Stop Going to Meetings - 10 Questions to Ask Before Attending a Meeting - Get More Productive We get invited to attend so many "meetings" but do we need to attend them all? Use these 10 questions to assess if you should attend that next meeting invitation. Executives and Emotional Self Awareness A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional Blind Spots. Emotions, whether we like them or not, have a significant impact on one's decisions. An example is the Enron case where executives ran into severe ethical and legal consequences after falling prey to the destructive negative emotions of greed and self-interest. It is perplexing how many success driven executives, choose to fear addressing the impact of negative emotions on personal and organizational performance. How Can A Communications Audit Help You? Organizations communicate in two directions: internally to staff and externally to clients, customers, shareholders, stakeholders, the media. Faulty internal communications can lead to mistakes, discouraged and unhappy staff, employees leaving the company. Poor external communications can jeopardize image and sales. It really is that simple. Any overall management strategy needs a communications plan or the whole operation might fail.
|
|
|
|
|
