Do You Have the Strength to Ask for Help?

[Steve Roesler]

Employee engagement, management engagement, leadership, passion in the workplace. . .

These rallying cries fill books, blogs, and backroom banter. The real issue: "How can we get done what needs to get done and create a sense of "we're in this together" at the same time?

It's actually quite simple:

To Get Something Done, Ask for Help

There is nothing that sparks the human spirit--and thus adds meaning to a task--than the satisfaction of providing help to someone who needs it.

Yet my experience--at least in many western cultures--is that it is somehow viewed as "weak" to ask for help. After all, if I'm a guy who gets things done, I don't want people to think that I can't get things done.

I know you already see the fallacy in this. Most textbook definitions of management include some version of this: "Management--getting things done through others."

Hmm. As a manager that means, by definition, I need your help.

What Actually Happens Vs. The Simplicity of Help

See if this isn't a little closer to the norm:

Manager: "Andrew, our sales goals are up by 8%. You supervise the customer service reps. You need to be able to support that. Make it happen."

Now, that 's not too bad a directive at all in the grand scheme of things. (For those who only respond to warm and fuzzy, it's probably not). It's fairly specific, understandable, and has an action attached. However, we've got an entire generation of management research that everyone has been exposed to through workshops and reading. The essence of that research is that people want to be respected, involved in solutions, and have a sense of meaning in what they do.

So, I suggest:

Manager: Andrew, our sales goals are up by 8%. I need help. (Shut up).

Note to managers: Really, you do need help. You're getting paid to make the 8% happen--through other people.

Andrew: How can I help?.

Honestly, if the manager & Andrew have a decent relationship, "helping" is about as meaningful as life can get at that moment.

Manager: You supervise the customer service reps. We need to be able to support that 8% bump. How would you go about doing that with your people?

* Statement one: Places next level of responsibility where it belongs.

* Statement two: Specifies the issue.

* Statement three: Involvement and more meaning.

(In the event that Andrew struggles a bit, this is the "teachable moment" for management coaching).

What will you do?

What someone does for a living is part of the working agreement. How they do it is why they--as individuals--were (hopefully) hired in the first place. When you allow someone to exercise the personal how, you have created the intersection of individual meaning and engagement.

Are you strong enough to ask for help today?

Special thanks to Adrian at Slow Leadership for sparking today's thoughts.

[Steve Roesler]

Ok Keith, thanks. The phrase "not lean as mean" could probably be the title of an article or a book. Let's face it, when people hear "lean" without clear context, the human condition hears "we're outta here!" (And there are too many examples where "lean" has been misused in that way.

What you are describing is the marriage of management, employees, and getting better. That's a powerful combination. . .

Thanks!

[Keith Bossey]

Once people get beyond the terminology, they realize that the activities can become powerful and a lot of it is common sense. It also has to be about lean for improvement and not lean as mean. If I'm on the floor and you can show me how to do my job better (not just faster with less people) I'm in. There also has to be cooperation between middle managers and shop floor folks. One of our consultants was recently at a Kaizen event and he said it was like the shop floor was water and the engineers were oil. No chance for success there.

[Steve Roesler]

Hi, Keith,

Thanks for taking time to share how the principle works in real-life.

Our stars must be in alignment, or something like that: We've got a global mfg. client who is also implementing Lean Manufacturing using those principles. Fortunately, they have a new CEO who has done it before and knows how to model the kind of involvement desired.

How are the the middle managers and shop floor folks latching onto Ho Shin/5s, etc.? So far I've seen no one reject those approaches because the fundamentals make sense at all levels. However, the terminology can be confusing until it reaches a critical mass of comfort.

Any thoughts on that, Keith?

[Steve Roesler]

David:

Are you receiving virtual help or actual?

[Keith Bossey]

Steve, we work with a fair amount of large manufacturing companies that are trying to implement Lean Manufacturing and/or the Toyota Production System. Those that fail make decisions in a conference room and tend to force initiatives on their workers.The successful companies come down to the shop floor and involve the workers in the process. They recognize that they are the experts and many times, its just as you say, its a matter of asking for help. Great post!

[David Zinger]

Steve:
You helped me. I will ask for help. I have the use of a virtual assistance for 20 hours and I now have the phrasing to use to request assistance in a way that may even engage a virtual assistant more in the work that can be done.
David