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Why Asking For Help Works For Managers

Guest post by: Martin Haworth

Article Overview: Management can be a tricky role to play. Not only is the work challenging, but sometimes it's hard to find the help you need. Yet there are people all around...

Why Asking For Help Works For Managers

The simple act of asking you team for help can be a difficult step for many managers, because it can seem to be that they are not that tough, irreplaceable and fail-proof character they feel they ought to be. Whilst that might take a little time to overcome, there might be more value in taking the first tentative steps than might seem at first obvious, so it's a path worth pursuing.

By saying 'I need your help', managers open up a whole new ball game, which can have profound effects for those within whom they place this trust.

There are four reasons this works well for managers, not to say their people, who get their share in some positives too...

1. Emotional - the words 'need' and 'help' dig deep within people, such that they find it hard to refuse. Providing help to someone who needs it can be as compelling as someone who is sick and requires support.

2. Valued - you are asking them for help with something that they feel you believe they can achieve for you, so they feel useful. That is a hugely valuing sense they get of personal validation.

3. Engaged - the help you are asking them for, gets them involved in something that the 'manager' has specially asked for help in. Does that focus attention or what?

4. Personal - it's a one-to-one appeal you are making to some one person (though this can be asked of a whole team too, it's effective in a different way). This is almost a 'secret' pact between you, which has a huge power.

Using this tactic is a valuable tool to have available to you. You can use it in the following circumstances when you choose to:-

• You can use it to really create space for yourself as others help you.

• You can use it as a tactic to build someone's confidence.

• You can also use it when you think that a stretch and challenge will be a valuable development exercise for someone on your team

• You can use it when it will help you build, strengthen and enhance a relationship for you

• You can use it when maybe you didn't even need to, though you have to be careful that to them, the request is fully authentic and necessary for you.

The value of asking for help cannot be overestimated as long as you are able to get out of your own way in achieving it.

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Article Tags: asking for help, employee relationships, helping others, management development, relationship building



Related Forum Posts
Re: Hello from Missouri - [quote="MichaelH":gxmrz8rk] If anyone in those markets in a managerial or owner capacity would like to offer some simple numbers help I would be greatly appreciative. To be honest, I've actually posted an ad on my local Craigslist for help, and offer $5 PayPal to anyone willing to help... haven't had any results yet! [/quote:gxmrz8rk] Unfortunately, to get people to respond to anythign these days, you probably need to up the ante to at least $10. Managers to whom time is money aren't going to take even 5 minutes out of their day to answer questions and then just get $5 for it!
Re: Service Or Product? - Thanks GT, been there and done that as is said in an overused cliche just as hauling around 18/8 stainless steel pots and panes, Kirby vacuums, Tupperware, Bibles, etc. Notice my load got lighter Now I just to Service online, information, ebooks, articles etc. Works for me Agree with Michelle, however any niche remains a niche unless you can break it out of the niche and make a market for it
Re: DropBox.com - Hey Evan, I just started using their service very recently. I'm currently using their free 2GB storage option. I mainly got it to send large-sized files to other people, as sometimes uploading to my web host server can become problematic and not work. I searched around for online storage options and landed on their site. Works great and very easy to share files with others. I currently have a 1TB external drive I backup all of my computer data on. Maybe someday I'll consider online backup, just for added protection of my files.
Re: 365 Foolish Mistakes Smart Managers Make - [quote="litekepr":2v18lglp]This morning's Google Alert held a pleasant surprise. WORTH MENTIONING A List of New Books Compiled by The Management and Government Information Center (MAGIC) Chinn Park Regional Library 703-792-4880Summer 2007 Indicates titles relating to the FISH Philosophy 365 Foolish Mistakes Smart Managers Make Every Day: How and Why to Avoid Them by Shri L. Henkel, 2006 interesting. Is anyone else here familiar with the FISH philosphy? i[/quote:2v18lglp] Congrats on the mention of your book! Hopefully it will drive up sales! For myself, I don't really care for their acronym... MAGIC. Gives people the subtle impression that good things happen at the snap of a finger instead of lots of hard work!
Re: Read the description (VERY) CAREFULLY - [quote="mphcoach":f7il2qsj]My son told me of someone who "thought" they were bidding on a Nintendo Wii system...he ended up paying close to $400 for the empty Box and i'm not sure of the outcome, but last we heard the buyer may have had to pay because the seller said it was the box in the description and never said it was the actual game system. [/quote:f7il2qsj] I'm reminded of a scam from many years ago - I think the ad appeared in the back of newspapers or something. Someone advertised a fool-proof method of killing cockroaches, ants, etc. 100% success. People sent in their money, and in return got two blocks of wood. "Put the ant or cockroach on the first block, hit it with the second block. Works every time!" I just had to laugh...


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