How To Ask For Help When You’re The Boss And You’re Supposed To Know Everything
I recently read about a lead scientist of a global drug development team. He had run into a dilemma where he was about to pay $50,000 to an outside vendor to conduct some necessary lab work.
While working through possible alternative solutions, he asked for help from his colleagues. A fellow scientist quickly responded that not only did he have the lab availability, but he would be able to conduct the work free of charge. By asking for help, this scientist not only saved his development team $50,000, but he also opened up amazing opportunities for his colleagues.
While some leaders view asking for help from employees as a weakness, it is actually a strength. The CEO is the ultimate generalist. It is my job to know a little about all of the operations in the company. But that also means that, if I’m doing my job well, I am hiring experts who specialize in each of the areas of our business. Why not enlist their assistance?
Asking for help should never be viewed as weakness in a leader, but rather a brilliant way of empowering employees. Following are three benefits that your employees will experience when you ask them for help.
Greater Involvement in the Company
Some of the world’s best-known CEOs — Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Cook — all know that the best way to build an engaged workforce is to hire employees who are smarter than they are. These savvy business owners understand that by hiring a strong, intelligent workforce, they are building a stronger company.
These CEOs “understand that the key to improving performance and a competitive edge, not to mention improve retention and engagement, is to hire people smarter than you,” said Sharon Florentine in her CIO.com article “Why You Should Hire People Smarter than You.”
Asking for editing help on an upcoming ad campaign from your best in-house writer might seem trivial, but that newly empowered employee will take pride and ownership in seeing that campaign go live and may offer editing services for future projects. He or she will see that you have the courage to be vulnerable, that you acknowledge nobody knows everything, and that you are approachable for productive collaboration.
“Done the right way, asking for help … will signal to your team members that you think their input is valuable,” said Carey Rome in his CEOWorld.Biz article “The Power Behind Asking for Help.” “Asking for help from others can rally your team around shared goals, and it breeds an environment that’s conducive to productive collaboration.”
Employees Feel Valued
You may notice an immediate difference when you involve employees by seeking out their expertise. They will not only feel involved, but they may also feel honored that you have asked them for help. Asking for help gives you an opportunity to uplift and encourage.
As David Ogilvy, founder of Ogilvy & Mather, once said, “If you always hire people who are smaller than you are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. If, on the other hand, you always hire people who are bigger than you are, we shall become a company of giants.”
At Fishbowl, we do have a company of giants. My employees are incredibly capable, and I believe my job is to help them feel valued and discover their self-worth in their roles at work. I’ve seen people who go from below average to superior, becoming top performers, all because of an improved sense of self-worth. Once they realized I valued their expertise, they became happier people, even outside of work.
Employees Will Raise Their Own Bar
When CEOs and managers seek an employee’s particular expertise and assistance, they are openly instilling their trust in that employee’s abilities. That trust then becomes a great motivator, pushing the employee to excel even further. Mentally, that employee is raising his or her own bar and going down a path of continued training and education.
Employees become inspired to be even better and develop specialized knowledge when their existing knowledge has been praised and relied upon. When you have one area of your life that you feel confident and strong in, it helps the rest of your life.
“A successful organization is one that emphasizes continuous learning and knowledge-sharing, and those factors contribute to improved performance, increased enthusiasm and engagement,” says Matthew Gonnering, CEO at Widen Enterprises, in the previously mentioned CIO.com article by Florentine. “This is the easiest path to improving performance for your entire company. You’re encouraging everyone to share their knowledge and not hoard their expertise — you’re being open to what others know, and open to sharing that,” Gonnering says.
So go ahead, ask your employees for help from time to time. Not only will you receive the most informed and accurate information, but you will also be building a stronger company by instilling trust in your employees. Ask for help, and watch your employees thrive.
Call to Action
Would you like to know more? You can follow my weekly Forbes.com columns (where this originally appeared) on life, leadership and entrepreneurship here.
You can learn more about my company, Fishbowl Inventory, by visiting our website here. I look forward to hearing from you.
