Asking for help

As the leader, you’re supposed to have all the answers. Set direction, keep things moving.

But what happens when you yourself need some help? Well, one tool is delegation, but that’s mostly appropriate when the work can be made somebody else’s job. And it’s OK that they’re held accountable for those results.

In other situations, it can be appropriate to look outside the group. You can seek out a mentor, a coach, a mastermind group, whatever. Or hire a consultant, but then you have to give them clear direction.

For personal issues, you can seek out friends and family, and individual or family therapy. There are actually a surprising number of available resources.

The hard part is being vulnerable enough to ask. And identify the area which is causing issues. This is usually something you have to do on your own – based on feedback, internal feelings, or direction from others. Sometimes you describe it as “feeling lost”, “in over my head”, “uncertainty”, or even “dread”.

The important point is to translate this to action. Ask for help.

Because there are a surprising number of places able to help, if we ask.