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Recent Client
Questions
Q:
How should someone ask for help with something
that they should know how to do?
A: First, we need to
give ourselves permission to have a learning
curve. We all have to take ownership for
learning new tasks and performing up to
expectations. Depending on our learning
preferences, some methods of learning are going to
be more effective than others. Sometimes we
are so loathe to disappoint, we keep our confusion
or lack of understanding hidden.
This serves no
one.
In order to
identify what you need to get up to speed in this
situation, ask yourself the following
questions:
- Is
this the job for me?
- Have
you been trained in this task?
- Did
the training match your learning style?
- Did
you speak up and ask for or create what you
needed to get up to speed?
- What
do you need now?
- Why
are you asking for help? Sometimes we ask
for help when we know what to do but we lack
confidence. If this is the case,
communicate that what you are looking for is a
sounding board.
Once
you have uncovered the root cause for your
difficulty take action.
Q:
I've spoken with my manager about taking on a team
leadership role for my group but there always
seems to be a reason to wait to put it into
place. I've taken on some leadership
projects on my own and I need her support in
making it more formal with the group. How do
I enable my manager to take action on my
behalf?
A: Taking the time and
steps needed to effectively manage your manager
can be a critical career asset. I often
advise my clients to treat their boss as their
primary customer. Often folks just wish
their bosses would get out of the way but we need
to partner with them and find out what their
expectations are, what their worries are and what
they might need to switch to a looser more
delegating leadership style.
Here
is some sample narrative you might try:
You
to your boss: "Sally, I wanted to
chat with you about my performance on my
objectives this far this year."
- "In
terms of objective #1- here is the status, here
is my expected delivery; here are some of the
obstacles I have encountered. How well is this
meeting your expectations? Do you have any
concerns at this point?"
(Hopefully
you would have clarified what a exceeds, meets
etc. expectations rating will look like for this
objective)
- In
terms of objective #2 .........
- In
terms of objective #3 ..........
- "I
also wanted to talk more about me taking on more
of a leadership role within the team. I
know we have touched on this before and I wanted
to get more clarity from you at this point."
- "What
does taking on more of a leadership role within
the team look like to you?"
- "Could
you share with me the pros and cons of me moving
in this direction?"
- "When
do you see me taking on more leadership
responsibility?"
If
Boss says not now- ask: "What would
I be doing or saying when you see me as ready to
take on this leadership role, that I am not doing
or saying now?"
Close
the meeting -- "I appreciate your
insights, perspectives and time. I will
incorporate your suggestions going forward.
Could we discuss this again in (2, 4 or 6
months?)?" | 
