Asking For Help

Have you ever asked anyone to "do you a favour"?

If so then you have asked for help and you probably found it quite easy! It might be something like opening a door when your arms are full or giving you a hand when you are looking to lift something. These are all pretty easy and obvious ways in which people can ask for help and also people can see clearly the type and level of help that is going to be required.

Asking for help can, on other occasions, seem far more difficult. It is sometimes difficult to ask for help because you feel it shows you are vulnerable or don’t know something. How difficult do you find it to ask for directions when you get lost? The act of pulling over while driving or stopping and asking someone can seem incredibly difficult!

People are psychologically wired to help others and always remember nobody succeeds alone. Everybody needs help from time to time, support and collaboration enables people to be successful. It also makes people feel good when they help others. They have done their “good deed for the day!”

It is very likely that you have a network of people around you. You have a mix of family, friends, colleagues all of whom are available for you to tap into and to help you in some way at the right time. So when asking for help think who? Out of all these people can help you and are they accessible to you?

Very often asking for help is also just asking for a different perspective on how things are or can be done. Everyone will have a different perspective and therefore asking for help allows you look at things from these different angles. People with a different view of the world will spot different problems and as a result will see and come up with different solutions.

Before you get to the point of needing to ask for help ensure you have as much information as is possible and that you understand! When being given instructions make sure that you clarify what you are being asked to do and by when. It might also be a good idea to establish who the best person to help you would be should you get stuck or have a problem.

Asking for help is important to demonstrate that you are keen to learn and do a good job, it shows you are interested. To get help shows that you care about what you doing and you are looking to deliver the best outcome you can and that you are willing to take the initiative.

It is vital if you get good at asking for help it can accelerate your development and understanding sharply as you are able to gain wisdom and understanding to be more effective more quickly.

Action:

Next time you are driving, pull over and ask for directions, even if you know where you are going. It will get you into the habit of asking for help.

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