“Pooh, what’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?” asked Piglet.
“Help,” said Pooh.
In a culture that promotes individualism, a pull yourself up by the bootstraps mentality, and fierce self-reliance, it is indeed a brave thing to ask for help. Yet the myth of the self-made man is just that - a myth.
If we cling to the view that we have to go it alone or that we’re inadequate if we don’t have all the answers (who does?), we are setting ourselves up for stress at best and failure at worst.
Not only is it OK to ask for help, it is the smart thing to do. Asking for help with running a business is no exception. Leading a company, with the enormous amount of responsibility and risk that comes with it, is a heavy burden to bear and many businesses suffer because leadership doesn’t know when or how to ask for help. Or they may be convinced that they are already doing all they can do.
As the leader of an organization, company, or department, it might be time to ask for help if any of the following apply to you:
You believe you have to do it all yourself in order for it to get done correctly.
Your strategy continues to change every few weeks.
Your employees confuse you.
You confuse your employees.
You’re continually overworked and overwhelmed.
You aren’t meeting your goals.
The company’s current systems and processes aren’t keeping pace with demand.
You're stuck and have no idea how to move forward.
Though things are not going well, you’re convinced there’s no other way.
The company’s problems are always someone else’s fault.
You’re no longer learning.
If you can relate to any of these, don’t be down on yourself. It just means you’re a normal business leader.
The question is: How will you go from being normal to great?
Part of the answer lies in getting help - specifically, a business coach. Someone who can provide knowledge, support, and resources to help you achieve your goals.
Working with a business coach involves developing a collaborative relationship designed to help you improve your ability to lead your company to success.
All the best athletes have coaches because they know it’s needed to win the game. The same principle applies in the workplace. Coaches provide guidance, support, and accountability to help you achieve your goals.
While anyone can call themselves a business coach, you don’t want to trust your business to just anyone.
Next week, we’ll talk about how to find a business coach that is the right fit for you.
Until then, we hope you have a great week!