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Asking for help is a life skill worthy of regular review and assessment. Young children seemingly come by this skill naturally as they strive to grow and develop themselves in a world full of surprises and wonder. Yet for many adults, asking for help seems difficult and is often interpreted as a sign of weakness. In a world that often appears to reward those who figure it out on their own, have we lost sight of the importance of asking for help?

An obvious benefit of asking for help is that we can shorten our learning curve. Leveraging the knowledge and wisdom of others who have experience is a sound strategy. Another benefit of asking for help is that it reinforces an attitude of humility. When we acknowledge we don’t know it all, we put ourselves in position for maximum learning gains. Finally, asking for help fuels our growth mindset. The habit of asking for help puts us in position to receive a steady flow of new ideas to help us on our journey.

There are at least 3 reasons why we avoid asking for help. Ego is certainly one of them. We don’t ask for help because we don’t want to appear weak. Unfortunately, the opposite is closer to the truth. Sometimes our reluctance to ask for help is based on fear of rejection. We are concerned that the person most qualified to give us that help, might refuse. The truth is, most people are not only willing to help, but they are grateful for the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with others. Being asked for help builds the self-esteem of the one being asked. Another reason we don’t ask for help is because we lack clarity about where we are going and what help to ask for. If you don’t have a question or need help, it just might be an indicator that you aren’t focused on going anywhere new.

Here’s a few best practices and suggestions about asking for help. First, choose your experts wisely. Not everyone is a good source to go to for help on everything. The person you ask help from needs to have skills and experience in the subject you need help on. Not everyone who has those skills and experience, are good at giving help. Be sure they have a track record of successfully helping others. Once you ask for help, be sure to follow through by acting on the ideas and suggestions given. Then, follow-up and show gratitude by letting the person know that you took their advice, implemented it, and here’s how it turned out for you. They are much more likely to continue to be a source of help for you when they know you are a person who acts.