One of the best moves in your career sees you asking for help. This is very important when you start a new job or take on a new position in the same organization.
The goal is not to become a question machine but rather use some strategy to save time, as well as network within the business.
For some, when you ask for help, you see it as a sign of weakness. You want to prove that you belong in your position and thus know everything. That belief can work against you and could actually isolate you from others.
Let’s take a strategic approach to asking for help from your colleagues, with these career tips:
Respect Knowledge
In any job, there’s the skill based part and then there’s the other stuff. This is made up of organizational processes, like the process for submitting a purchase order. Knowing how to do it in your new business will save you time and frustration.
When a new coworker welcomes you to the organization or a new position, he or she will often say, “Let me know if I can help with anything.”
Consider this your invitation to later ask, “What’s the best way to submit a purchase order and how long does it take to be approved?”
You want to find out how things run, if there are any quirky personalities you need to work with who could affect the process, and ultimately shorten your learning curve.
Think about the parts of your new job that involve processes and get them defined as soon as possible.
Caring and Heroes
When you’re asking someone for help, it can feel like a one-way transaction. But it really isn’t, as the other person is showing you kindness and ultimately caring about you.
Sure, some may have been “voluntold” to assist you but I’ll bet they also like to feel like a hero.
In today’s world, we don’t need to save people from a wild animal, a runaway train, or a falling anvil. The workplace has become the place where we can be heroic. Give someone a sense of satisfaction, when they have a chance to help you.
Self-Promotion
When you ask for help, you have a chance to ask questions but you also can tell people a little about yourself. This can be valuable because you want to be thought of as a really good employee and not just a position.
People who are just seen as a position often don’t enjoy promotions and other opportunities. Remember, most people in an organization were not part of your interview process and may not know much about you and your background.
When you ask a question about a process, you don’t want to fall into the trap of saying, “Well at XYZ company, we did it differently.”
This can be tricky because you’re almost asking the other person to defend a policy. A better way to phrase it would be to say, “Oh, that’s different from how we did it at XYZ company. Thanks for tell me.”
This shift allows you to share information without challenging the other person. He or she can choose to ask you more.
During your first few weeks in a new position, it’s good to introduce yourself to people in other departments. Asking some questions can make you more memorable and more effective, when you need to work with them. They also may start to think of you as a resource because they’ve had a chance to know you.
It’s good to establish these relationships early, as later on they could be seen as undermining a supervisor or not respecting the chain of command. When you’re new, you’re usually encouraged to meet those outside your normal job orbit.
Asking for Help Final Tip
Make sure you are thanking those who help you. Today’s workplace can be busy and pressure packed, so time spent answering your questions should not be taken for granted.
And if the situation is ever reversed, show them the level of respect they gave you.
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