Anthony Landale

I’ve been with a few teams recently where the topIc of ‘asking for help’ has caused a bit of a stir.

Regular readers will know how much emphasis we place on the need for leaders to have a great support network. We believe you simply can’t grow and develop on your own. So why the debate?

To start with, of course, many people aren’t clear either on what aspect of their leadership they want to work on or indeed what opportunities there are to try out and practise their leadership skills. But what really seems to block people is their willingness to tell colleagues – in advance – what they are up to.

Take the case of Andrew, a senior leader who told me he’d been practising his leadership, but who also said he hadn’t told anyone else what it was he was doing. When I asked him why not he said it felt a bit awkward and he feared it might show up his weakness! But the best way to grow as a leader is to get people enrolled in your development so that they can both acknowledge your qualities and help you spot areas where you haven’t quite made the impact you want. Far from seeing it as weakness, people are generally delighted to be asked for their feedback – and a request for such support can massively enhance a relationship too.

So build your support network today. Go and enrol two or three people in your leadership journey. Tell them what you are looking to improve, invite them to notice how you are doing and ask them to be ready to give you feedback over the next few weeks. It’s the fastest way to grow.

By Anthony Landale

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