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OK… you were thinking it! And yes, I just went there.
It will come as no surprise to you that I’ve heard the phrase “Help, Help Me, Rhonda” more than once in my life. For all its pop-culture popularity though, I rarely find my name on a pencil or key tag. And, at the risk of ageing myself, that woman on Romper Room never saw me although I was sitting directly in front of the TV waving every morning!
How can I help you?
As a leader, everyone is looking to you to have the answers. Don’t you sometimes feel that you need to be on top of every industry trend, all while having your finger on every detail of every file in your office?
RESIST!
Peter Bregman is a world-renowned executive coach. He is the award-winning, best selling author and contributor of 18 books, including, Leading with Emotional Courage: How to Have Hard Conversations, Create Accountability, and Inspire Action on your Most Important Work, and 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done. Over a thirty-plus-year career, he has amassed numerous accolades and coaches some of the biggest names in business.
His main message to C-Suite clients: “People will only follow you, work hard for you, create and risk and sacrifice for you, if they feel connected to you. Will anyone ever be able to truly connect with you, really trust you, honestly give you their all, if you only reveal to them the parts of you that you think will impress them?”
There are a lot of benefits to asking for help.
As Bregman highlights, asking your employees for their help can build trust and greater collaboration within your team. In addition, when you “share the load”, you free up your brainpower and energy for innovation and problem-solving. Bringing in “outside help” can sometimes be a good way to help your organization or business work through a growth spurt – where you need more resources and skills, but can’t necessarily afford to onboard those resources yet. Finally, you can often get great perspective when you engage someone who is not part of the day-to-day tasks and distractions.
So…Help, Help Me, Rhonda? I’d be happy to!
And yes… I have heard this before. ☺
If I can help you, please be in touch!