Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Knowing when to ask for help

As business leaders, others constantly look up to you for advice and guidance. The expectation is that you’ll know what to do and the pressure to deliver a timely and helpful answer is high. But what happens when you need to ask for help? Who do you turn to?

The first thing to do is stay in control. Take ownership and responsibility for the situation so that you maintain your employees’ confidence.

Ask the right questions. Sometimes finding the answer is dependent on what questions you ask. Create a list of well thought out questions before approaching others. 

Be open to suggestions. Invite other team members to contribute in solving the problem. However, don’t hand-off the situation to someone else. Make sure you are collaborating and working together to find a conclusion.

Reach out to your network. Sometimes help is just a call away so think of a peer removed from the situation, either internal or outside of your organization. Ask for their perspective and they might be able to see the answer more clearly from an outside view.

Participate in regular training. Asking for help doesn’t always have to happen when a problem arises. Identifying professional areas that need improvement and seeking out training or additional resources is another form of reaching out. 

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