What are your thoughts on “getting help”?
Carol* is a Fortune 500 Manager and emerging leader. Her name comes up when succession planning is discussed by her VP. She has distinguished herself over the past nine years and is grateful for the opportunity she has received. She brags on her team as some of the brightest and enjoys her work. She is a “keeper”.
Carol’s aspirations are significant; succession planning is on her mind, too. She intends to replace her VP in a few years and is looking at her next level beyond that. Carol believes in herself and her abilities.
She is also aware that something is getting in her way. Her story is a classic illustration of what Marshall Goldsmith points out in his book, with the reality-check title, What Got you Here Won’t Get You There. Carol understands this principle; she is seeking support for the additional personal growth and professional development required to “get there”.
Benjamin S. Carson, M.D., is one of the world’s foremost pediatric neurosurgeons. Born in Detroit to a single mother in a working class neighborhood he is professor and chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Medical School.
I appreciate what he writes about developing our potential…
In any career, whether it’s that of a TV repairman, a musician, a secretary – or a surgeon – an individual must believe in himself and in his abilities. To do his best, one needs a confidence that says, “I can do anything, and if I can’t do it, I know how to get help.”
-Dr. Ben Carson from his autobiography Gifted Hands
Pictured with President Bush when awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008
What are your thoughts on receiving help?
When would you not want to make it easier to do something?
What are you trying to accomplish that you really can’t do alone?
What are your thoughts on asking for help; is it a sign of weakness or about making something easier, more likely to happen, or better?
What are your thoughts on “getting help”?
Back to Carol’s story; when we started her executive coaching engagement she was solid in work intensity, drive, ambition, determination, and the technical aspects of her work.
Yet, there is something holding her back. It’s true, what got her where she is today will not get her where she wants to be tomorrow. The good news is that she understands how to receive help and embraces objective support for her personal growth.
Here are a few questions for your personal reflection as you close 2009:
- What do you think about securing support for your personal growth?
- This past year, who has helped you grow as a leader? As a person?
- This past year, who have you helped grow as a leader? As a person?
- Today, what is getting in your way, holding you back from your full potential? What core skills (people skills) do you want to develop today?
- How will you get to your next level as a leader?
By the way, Carol is connecting the dots between recent performance feedback, who she is, and her business behavior. She is accepting help, making changes, making the most of today on her way to “getting there”.
Here’s to your next level —
Picture: Alex Wong - Getty Images/The Washington Post
*The name has been changed to protect privacy
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