We all want to be Jack of all trades and master it too, but do you think it is possible?
It might not be an impossible task to do, but it definitely is a difficult one to achieve.
Moreover, if you think over it, then you will know that it is only possible when you can ask for help because that is the way you learn things that you do not know.
Many things come across our minds mostly before asking for help from anybody. There are even people who detest the very thought of asking for help even when they don’t know anything about the matter.
Help can be required at any point of time and it doesn’t matter whether you are in school, college or an office.
It is completely normal to be unaware of something even when you are the best student of the school or college.
Even the employee of the month or the best employee award winner can be unaware of many things. In that situation, what you have to do is raise your hand and ask for help.
HELP is such a simple thing, but it is quite difficult to ask for. It is far better to ask for help and accomplish the task successfully on time rather than muddling down things and not being able to finish it or even worse doing it all wrong.
If you are not aware of something, then even your stress level goes up which is not a good sign at all for your health. So, forego all your ego and just raise your voice to help and you will witness that how things happen smoothly.
When to Ask for Help:
Yes, it is important to know, when to ask for help and when to try it on your own because if the timing is wrong, then everything will go haywire.
If you are given a work to complete and from the very onset if you start asking for help, then it will show your incompetency, but when you ask for help at work after completing a major part of the work, then it will prove that you know your job well, but due to some reason you got stuck somewhere.
So, you see the timing is important and that is the reason we are providing you with some guidance about when to ask for help.
1. Instructions not clear:
There are times when you have to ask for help in the very beginning, just to make sure that you have understood the instructions completely.
This mainly happens with the employees whose bosses assume that their subordinates are mind readers and they will know exactly what the boss wants.
But, it is not the case always and that is why it becomes important that your boss provides you with exact information about the work.
If you are provided with several files and asked to prepare a report which is due the very next day, then the information provided by your boss is not complete and you will have to ask him what the report is all about.
The boss feels that they are too busy to waste time in explaining these mundane things, but they are wrong because when they are assigning tasks, they will have to explain the work, so that the employee starts working on the project immediately.
If the clear picture is not available, then you will have to ask for help and figure out what you need to do. It’s better to ask for help rather than sitting idle doing nothing and panicking about the work.
2. Not sure about the deadline:
You have various works on hand, but if you don’t know the deadline of the project, then it might happen that you are working day in and day out on a project which has a deadline of one month leaving behind the project which needs to be completed within a week’s time.
Therefore, again, it is time to seek help and get a clear idea about the deadline of all your projects in hand.
3. Not much time in hand:
If you are running out of time and is not sure how to accomplish the work, then it is important that you ask for help. It will not only save your time but will also help you in figuring out the easiest process of completing the work.
There are times when the work is too complicated and it is quite natural that it will take time to figure out and complete the task, but if you ask for help, then the complicacy will be gone in a jiffy.
Moreover, when you are getting help from someone expert, then you can be rest assured about one thing and that is you will be able to successfully pull off the work.
4. You have no idea what you are doing:
In this situation, you need all the guts you have to ask for help because this is where you are exposing your weaker side to the world. Not everybody can admit to the very thought that they have no idea about what to make out of the job that they have on hand. But, when you are taking up a new responsibility, it is not necessary that you will know every bit of it.
Therefore, the person whom you are replacing will be the best person to seek help from and ask him what the job requires from you and what you will have to do exactly. He has been doing the job for a long time, so he will know exactly what is in store for you.
Don’t have a negative approach towards the whole thing; instead, think of it as a learning experience. Open out your windows and you will be able to gulp in more and more knowledge.
What it exactly means, when asked properly!
You might be thinking what does asking for help might mean?
It means that you are incompetent and not qualified enough to do the job. But, to your surprise it can also prove your competency, your desire to excel in your job and your dedication towards the job.
Are you surprised to read this? You must be thinking to yourself, what rubbish! But, actually that will be the case when you do it in the right manner and at the right time.
Therefore, if you are looking for career advancement, then it is important that you ask for help.
1. Give and take relationship:
If you are trying to build a good rapport with your teammates, then the best way to do that is by helping them when required and also by asking those for help when you are stuck somewhere.
If you are the one who is an expert in the work you do, then don’t allow pride and ego to come between your way of asking for help, instead go out and look for help around you.
This will prove that only when all of you work together as a team, helping out each other, then only you will be able to succeed and build a strong bond with every team member.
2. Doing your job in the best possible manner:
It might happen that you have tried your level best to do the job, but somehow couldn’t be successful in doing so.
If you feel that it will show your incompetence, then you are wrong, it only shows that you want to do your job well and have no such ego hassle in asking for help whenever it is required.
You will be able to grow in your career if you are successful in completing the job that you have in hand on time. When you are in a situation where you can seek help and complete the task on time and on the other hand try completing the task all by oneself and failing to do so. Which one do you think will be preferable?
Obviously, the first option will be the most preferred one because it might help completing the work on time and that too successfully.
3. Confident about your own self:
When you are asking for help, then it shows your modesty and it also proves that you are not too proud to ask for help.
When you are allowing someone to contribute, then it becomes quite flattering and it also shows you sign of strong personality as well.
When you are thinking in terms of career advancement, then we all know that confidence is one big trait that helps in getting an extra edge over others during the promotions.
Help Required at every phase of life:
It is not that help is required only for career advancements or to complete a task, instead you might need help at any point of time.
You are out in a car and in the middle of nowhere your car broke down and you don’t know how to fix it, then you will have to ask for help from someone else. It is one of the daily life examples, but there are various other reasons too.
There is a personal crisis, which has hit you badly and you are not able to get over it, so what do you do?
Will you be ignorant and just be that way or will be strong enough to come out of your shell and ask for help from a therapist.
When we are down with some heart break or a passing away of some near and dear ones, then the feeling that creeps into our mind is hard to leave behind.
It is at that point that we need help, to come out of the depression that does not allow us to lead a normal life.
So, if you feel some good amount of help will allow you to get back to normal life, then go ahead and grab the opportunity with both your arms.
Once you open your mouth wide open and ask for help, then you will realize that it is so easy to actually receive help from people around you.
They are always there to help, but you have to ask them first else how would they know that you really need one.
Asking for help!
When you are in school, sometimes it becomes quite tough to ask for help because of the peer pressure.
We tend to think that everybody will come to know that we haven’t understood the matter and it will be such a silly thing to do.
But, think otherwise, if you do not ask, then you will have half the knowledge which will not be helpful in any ways.
It is the same in college and in the office as well. Here are some tips that will help you in asking for help at work without hampering your image.
1. Look for yourself before asking:
When you are looking for the answer yourself before asking for help, then you will be more enriched with the findings that you have made.
Moreover, if you finally have to ask for help, then you will have some knowledge about the matter which will help you in giving your own inputs. That will show your competency and it will also strike a perfect balance as well.
2. Respect other’s time as well:
Before bumping into someone with your set of question, it is better that you ask the concerned person whether he is available for helping you out or not.
If he is busy doing some job of his own, then probably it is not the right time to ask for help. Instead, you can just ask him who else can help you with this.
3. Schedule a meeting:
If you think that the help you require needs a long explanation, then it is always better to schedule a meeting rather than just going there and start asking questions.
If you are seeking help from someone whom you do not know personally, then ask for an appropriate time from him through an email.
It will also help him get prepared for the situation and he will be in a better place to help you out.
4. Share the title:
If you have successfully accomplished the task with the help of someone, then don’t forget to mention his name.
It is always good to share credit and you will understand the importance of it when someone else does the same thing with you.
If you can do it right, then it will help you in building a strong relation and will also help you in career advancements as well. It is the basic of any work culture, so throw your pride out of the window and adapt to the environment where helping each other will lead you ahead.
