Real Wo(men) Ask for Help
I don’t know where it came from, this belief it’s important to try to figure everything out on your own. That somehow makes you stronger, or makes you seem smarter. It’s really the opposite. Strength in numbers, they say.
The truth is, trying to figure it all on your own is one of the main things holding you back from success.
Any successful person has a team that’s helped them get there. I don’t necessarily mean in the traditional sense, but most certainly a crew of supporters who’ve helped them along the way.
Think about product designers. They’re not designing in silo. They have colleagues to help ideate, problem solve, or provide fresh eyes or different expertise.
In Napoleon Hill’s master work, Think and Grow Rich, he talks about a Master Mind as being one of the vital elements for any success. It’s a group who supports your vision and helps provide the resources so that you can achieve it.
This stuff is all proven and yet here we are, still trying to figure it all out alone. Like it’s noble!
I often saw it in the corporate environment, individuals wanting to figure out things on their own would almost certainly lead to last minute chaos and frustration. The same in teams. One team working on a project would avoid reaching out to other teams for help, when most likely that other team had insight to provide, knowledge of pitfalls to avoid, and new ideas to add. All things which would help make the end product better, and the process to get there more efficient. Why on earth wouldn’t you want to create the best output in the least amount of time?
True leaders know how to ask for help. They know they don’t have all the answers; they surround themselves with smart and capable teams.
I see this do-it-aloneness as rampant in my solo businesswoman friends. It astounds me how so few of them are connected to other entrepreneurs. They are trying to figure it out all on their own, which can be extremely isolating and most certainly does not help propel them to faster success.
I cannot imagine not having my peer connections and coaches to help propel me forward in my business. That’s what this is about, taking a faster path to a better result. Think of the power of accessing a team as an entrepreneur or when pursuing a career transition, for help in ideating, finding resources, networking, and of course buoying when things get tough!
Want to create your support team but don’t know where to start? I’ll use entrepreneurs as an example, but this process is for anyone who wants to succeed at anything in life.
Think of one or two people who have similarities as far as goals, motivation, a willingness to challenge and be challenged. They don’t necessarily need to be doing the exact same thing. In fact ideally, each will have a different skill-set.
Make sure all have a common goal of wanting to support their fellow entrepreneurs, and wanting to gain their own support in their business. The people you choose to include in your group will be the difference in the level of value you receive.
Keep your group ideally to 3-5 people. Remember connecting with one person is much better than none, so if there are only two of you, don’t let that stop you from getting started. Keep your group at no bigger than 5 for efficiency.
Set a cadence on how often you’d like to meet (e.g. 1 hour weekly? 1.5 hours every two weeks?) Make sure everyone is committed to that timing. This is a true Master Mind support team you are building. It is not for the half-interested or distracted.
Decide on an agenda. I like to do a round table, asking each person to share their successes, what they learned, and what they need help with. Provide support for one Master Mind member at a time, keeping track of time spent, and then move on to the next.
No more steps. It’s that simple!
Beyond creating the connection that is so important for those who work for themselves, you are tapping into like-minded folks who are eager to see you succeed, who can relate to your business struggles, who will celebrate your successes, and also provide you solutions and support along the way.
Sound enticing? Who’s ready to start your own group? Share what it would mean to you and what you’d most like to get out of it.