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    You are here Home » leadership

    3 Reasons Why Great Leaders Welcome Help

    Last updated on Sep 14, 2017 by Dan McCarthy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Guest post from Victor Prince:

    A
    few of summers ago, I hiked the ancient Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail
    across Spain. It was the best month of my life for many reasons. Along with a
    lot of other great things I got by walking almost 500 miles, it also taught me
    some valuable lessons in leadership.

    One
    lesson came as I stopped for lunch in a café in one quiet, small town and sat
    by a window while I ate a sandwich. The only sign of life outside was three
    older men sitting in plastic chairs in the shade in front of a house. They
    didn’t seem to be talking or doing much other than just sitting next to each
    other watching pilgrims go by. I supposed it was a better pastime than being
    inside watching television alone.

    A
    couple of other pilgrims who had just finished eating left the café. They
    looked around for a yellow arrow and, when they didn’t see any, decided to go
    to the left. Instantly, the three men sitting in the shade started yelling and
    pointing to get the pilgrims’ attention. They were pointing them in the other
    direction to show them the correct way to continue on the Camino. The pilgrims
    stopped, said thank you and turned to follow the men’s directions.  The old men waved them on and bid them
    farewell with a “buen camino.”

    The
    speed of their reactions made me think these three men did this regularly. Then
    it dawned on me these men weren’t just people watching. They were waiting for
    these opportunities to redirect lost pilgrims. They were perfectly positioned
    across the street from the only café in town. The corner they were on would
    have been an ideal place for a painted yellow arrow corners like that usually
    had. The suspicious part of me wondered if these guys were sitting in front of
    the arrow to obscure it so their help would be needed.

    I
    finished my sandwich a few minutes later. As I walked out, I too looked for an
    arrow, and when I didn’t see one, I purposely went the wrong way. Once again,
    the old men leapt into action and pointed me in the other direction. I thanked
    them and they wished me a good walk. I smiled as I wondered how many times they
    had done this ritual before.

    As
    I walked on, that interaction made me think about how I offered and received
    help in my career. I loved giving advice. If someone sought my advice, I took
    it as a sign of respect. It gave my ego a boost. It made me feel helpful.

    On
    the flip side, however, I realized I didn’t ask others for advice very often.
    If I didn’t know something, I would rather figure it out myself. I didn’t want
    to show weakness. I didn’t want to bother other people. And if people gave me
    unsolicited advice, I would often be defensive, and take it as criticism. Far
    from welcoming help from others, I pushed it away.

    A
    light bulb went off with me that told me to be more welcoming of help from
    others at work for three reasons:

    1.   
    I actually need help
    sometimes
    .
    I have a lot of expertise and experience, but I don’t have all the answers to
    all the problems and opportunities that arise at work. Whenever I can swallow
    my pride and ask for help, I can make better decisions. 

    2.   
    It makes others feel
    good to help
    .
    When I do ask for help, I don’t only benefit from the assistance I receive, I
    also make the helper feel good. That helps me build a stronger relationship
    with the person helping me. The person helping me is investing in my success.
    That can help me get their support in the future. I am also giving them the
    same ego boost and sense of value I get when I provide help. Simply by enabling
    others to grant the gift of help, I am also giving a gift.

    3.   
    I should model the
    behavior to others
    .
    As a leader, I would be showing the value of welcoming help. It would empower
    me to demand that people on my team also welcome help. If I modeled that
    behavior, I could make it explicit in
    their goals and expected competencies.


    Great
    leaders are always looking to improve themselves. Sometimes that starts by
    asking others for help.

    --------------------------

    About
    the Author: 
    Victor Prince is an
    author and speaker who teaches strategy, communication, and leadership 
    skills to
    clients around the world. Victor’s new book, The
    Camino Way: Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain
    , comes out in
    July 2017 from the American Management Association in hardcover, ebook, and
    audiobook.
    You can find his books,
    training courses, keynote speeches and more at www.VictorPrince.com.
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