Do You Want To Accomplish Your Biggest Goals?

Ask “who” not “how”

As leaders and individuals, we can spend a lot of time trying to determine “how” to get something done. However, sometimes the better question is “who” can help us get it done.

“Who” and not “how” is often a better sequence that leads to a creative solution.

Many situations are complex, and our attempts to solve problems alone or learn to do a task are highly ineffective and inefficient. If we spend time identifying who is already good at the job or has insight into the challenge, we will get to the future much faster.

Stepping back to ask “who” instead of “how” really does help.

Lesson to Learn

As leaders, we are often not the best person to execute a task or solve a problem. We need the insight or assistance of others. When we ask who can help us, it changes our entire outlook on the situation. This enables us to advance the effort. It allows us to move toward a solution.

The best leaders are more interested in having the best person work on the problem because they will figure out the best way to proceed.

The person we identify helps us figure out the best way to proceed. We often can just let the person better prepared to execute determine how it is to be done.

Answer for Me

When I am stuck these days, I try to identify who can help me solve my problem. I look for a person who is better at it than I am. If they can do it, I let them do it.

They either know how to do it or can figure out the best way to do it. This requires humility on my part. It requires me to ask for help. I have to admit I don’t know the best way to proceed.

Many good things get done when I don’t try to do the things I am not good at.

It also builds trust and capacity within my network. It’s like exercising a muscle; the relationship and capabilities get stronger.

During this pandemic, MACNY- The Manufacturers Association needed to move our entire offerings to digital delivery. I did not know how to do it. However, several of our staff members were much better at leading this effort. I needed to empower and trust them to execute it. What a fantastic job they have done. We have never offered more service. I would have done a poor job in determining the solution. It was so much better to turn to and trust others.

Action

What is your biggest challenge today? Who could help you understand it better or even do it for you?

Tackling your challenges through asking “who” and not “how” can help you move more quickly forward.

What are you procrastinating on? Maybe, it’s time to ask for help. It might be time to turn it over to someone else. Not only will this behavior likely result in better outcomes. It will also build relationships of trust and mutual support. Everyone wins in this kind of scenario.

The toughest challenges start by answering “who” and then “how.”

Daily Habits

Make a list of the challenges you face. Identify who can help you think about those tasks or even do them for you. Don’t be afraid to seek thinking partners. Friends and colleagues genuinely want to help us. They will often volunteer to assist us. However, if we never ask, they can’t.

One of the best ways to build lasting relationships and get things done is to find the right person to help us do it.

Trust your most significant challenges to those who can help you accomplish them. It’s often the best way to move forward daily.

Do you want more insights?

To learn more about leadership, visit me at www.macny.org.

To get a copy of my book Present-Future Leader, go to www.amazon.com.