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The coronavirus has disrupted our lives for almost two years and it's no surprise that many of us are struggling. The most resilient among us know we can't get through this alone. Instead, we ask colleagues, friends, and families for help.
Organizations that encourage asking for help have been more resilient during this crisis. They adapt more quickly to rapid changes and find solutions to novel problems. Here’s how you can thrive in adversity by fostering a helping culture in your organization:
Understand the Barriers
Take a good look at your organizational culture and identify barriers to asking for help. Are employees who seek advice viewed as weak or inferior? Do senior leaders give the impression that they are superhuman and never need help? Are vulnerabilities punished? Is there a lack of trust among colleagues? Once you understand your organization's cultural barriers, you'll be able to strategize ways to remove or minimize the obstacles.
Build on Your Strengths
Identify what you’re already doing that encourages employees to seek help and reinforce these actions. Name and optimize what you’re doing well. Seek out ways to expand these strengths across the organization.
Model Asking for Help
When employees witness leaders asking for help, they are more likely to follow suit. Publicly acknowledge your deficiencies and request that colleagues help you compensate. Be honest about your vulnerabilities and demonstrate how seeking support from others turns those vulnerabilities into strengths.
Reward Asking for Help
Recognize and show appreciation to employees who ask for help. When someone asks you for help, thank them for seeking your support. Use formal recognition programs to highlight accomplishments that employees achieved because they requested assistance from others. Ensure you're rewarding collaborative efforts and not only individual performance. Wayne Baker's book All You Have to Do Is Ask provides more suggestions on how to reward asking for help.
Protect Givers
Psychologist Adam Grant studied givers and takers, concluding that organizations with high numbers of givers are more productive. Unfortunately, givers often burn out because they may neglect their own needs, or too many takers drain their energy. When givers are rewarded and encouraged to also ask for help, they are more likely to excel. Weed out takers from your organization to avoid exhausting givers.
Conduct a Reciprocity Ring Exercise
The Reciprocity Ring is a dynamic group exercise developed by Give and Take that encourages team members to be givers and cements high-quality connections. People who use the Reciprocity Ring get the information they need to solve real problems, both personal and professional. It can energize a group, creating healthy relationships that help individuals and organizations. You can conduct the Reciprocity Ring exercise virtually if necessary.
How have you created a culture that encourages asking for help?
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To learn more about how you and your team can thrive in adversity, visit my website, and follow me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. And, check out my online Resilience Leadership course.