Why you need to learn to ask for help

 

 

This third episode is about discovering opportunities where you thought there were none, and especially asking for help. If you've chosen a goal that is ambitious enough, you will find yourself leaving your comfort zone. Which means you will find yourself in uncharted (to you) territory.

 

Your best solution in that case is to reach out to somebody who can help you.

 

 

In this third episode, I encourage you to go out of your comfort zone and approach people you want to learn from: that is the absolute best way to make progress fast, especially when you feel stuck and can't see a way forward.

 

The always useful GROW model

 

GROW stands for Goal, Realities, Opportunities, What do I do? It's one of my favourite strategizing tools, because it gives me a framework to go forward. And asking yourself "What opportunities are around me?" also forces you to think what opportunities you can create. Asking for help, reaching out, is one way to create these opportunities.

 

What asking for help ISN'T 

 

Don't believe that asking for help is cheating - trust me, there is no merit in trying to go it alone all the time. Of course you should do your homework and not ask that others do your work for you. But asking for advice or an introduction should be your first idea.
And don't be afraid that asking for help means that you are imposing on somebody's time. So many people, including me, are genuinely happy to help, because we are paying forward the help that we ourselves received in the past.

 

But there is an art to asking 

 

Asking for help requires work. In the podcast I share my favourite tip: give help first. You might say "But how can I possibly help somebody who's more successful than I am? What can I bring to the table, that they don't already have?" Well, there is always, always, always something you can do for them, before you ask them for help. Finding what you can do is part of the work you have to put in. I give many examples of that in the podcast.

 

Then, make sure it will be easy for the person to help you - make sure your request is specific and easy to answer. Again, lots of examples in the podcast!

 

So if you are stuck and your goal seems more unattainable than ever before, now is the perfect time to stop, think, use the GROW model and reach out to somebody who has done what you want to achieve, or might know someone who has.

 

The Savvy Women Podcast is now on iTunes! Subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode.

 

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