职场成功借力法则：学会求助

    所谓成功者，就是能够把事情做好的人。如何把事情做好呢？他们敢于冒险，从大处着手，能够制定并执行经过深思熟虑的计划。还有一件事是大多数人没有想到的：成功者善于寻求帮助。

    组建团队、外包、协作、授权等等，虽然说法不同，但这些做法本质上都是寻求帮助。而且，寻求帮助是推动职业和个人成功的一个关键因素。

    不要他人帮助，是许多人的固定思维模式。我们认为这样做会让自己显得软弱。我们认为自己必须成为超人。我们以为会遭到拒绝。我们认为必须自己做好所有事情。不论出于怎样的理由，有需要的时候，我们总是拒绝求助。但我们必须克服这种错误的观念，以下是本文给出的建议：

    不要自以为是。没有人，我的意思是没有一个人，能仅靠自己就取得成功。你不可能也不应该事事亲力亲为。事实上，你往往并非某项工作的最佳人选或“唯一”能做这件事的人。寻求帮助是力量的表现，而非软弱。寻求帮助可以为你腾出空间，让你有更多的时间和精力。这是明智的策略。

    转变自己的思维。将对寻求帮助的看法，从“我是软弱的、没有能力的失败者”转变为“我在从战略上分配我的时间，以便专注于最重要的事情。”不要纠结于你无法做某件事，没有时间做，或不具备专业知识这类事实。相反，想一下寻求帮助能够给你带来什么——交际的机会，重视同事的机会，更快或更好完成某项工作的机会，优化自己的时间与才能的机会。

    了解自己的同事。寻求帮助，实际上是利用宝贵的资源，以最少的资源用最快的速度得到最好的结果。换句话说，就是让合适的人做合适的事。关键是组建合适的团队。而最好的方式，就是了解自己的同事，培养人际关系网络，主动建立关系。

    考虑一下自己的同事：他们的优点是什么？弱点呢？他们最近在做哪方面的工作？谁是优秀的团队合作者？谁是出色的领导者？谁是好的执行者？你对自己的同事了解得越多，就可以更有效地利用他们的智慧，建立更出色的团队。

    建立自己的团队。在开始一个项目或一项任务之前，考虑下面几个问题：

    该项目的范围是什么？

    我之前什么时候曾经参与过类似的项目？

    我从那个项目中学到了什么，我可以如何利用它？

    我需要哪些帮助？

    谁是这个领域的专家或曾经执行过该任务？

    Successful people are people who get things done. How do they get things done? They take risks, they think big, and they make and execute well-thought out plans. There’s something else they do that most people don’t think about: successful people ask for help.

    Call it what you will—building a team, outsourcing, collaborating, delegating, etc.—it all amounts to asking for help. And that is a critical factor in professional and personal success.

    Many of us are hardwired NOT to ask for help. We think it makes us appear weak. We think we have to be superwomen. We think people will say no. We think we have to do everything ourselves. Whatever the reason, we don’t ask for the help we need. We have to get over that, and here’s how:

    Get over yourself.No one—and I mean NO ONE—got anywhere alone. You cannot and should not do everything yourself. You are not, in fact, always the best person for the job, or the “only” person who can do it. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Asking for help clears space for you and frees your time and energy. It’s a smart strategy.

    Reframe your thinking.Reframe what it means to ask for help from “I am a weak, incompetent loser” to “I am strategically allocating my time to focus on what matters most.” Don’t dwell on the fact that you can’t do something or don’t have the time or expertise. Instead, think about what you will gain from the ask—a chance to connect, a chance to value a colleague, a chance to get something done faster or better, a chance to optimize your own time and talents.

    Know your colleagues. Asking for help is about tapping valuable resources to get the best outcome the most quickly with the fewest resources expended. That’s a fancy way of saying get the right people for the job. It’s all about building the right team. And the best way to do that is to know your colleagues, cultivate your networks, and proactively build relationships.

    Think about your colleagues: What are their strengths? Weaknesses? What have they been working on recently? Who works well together? Who leads well? Who follows well? The more you know about your colleagues the more effectively you can tap their wisdom and the better team you will build.

    Build your team. Before you embark on a project or task at work, think about the following questions:

    What is the scope of this project?

    When have I worked on a project like this?

    What did I learn and how can I leverage it?

    What do I need help with?

    Who is an expert in this area or has executed on this task?