Tip of the Week
Seeking Help
In my Connection Conversations I help people understand what they need to do when they are trying to seek help from others. I go through three scenarios:
It’s 3 AM, I’m stuck at the airport. Cabs are all gone and I need a ride home. I ask YOU to come and pick me up from the airport. Will you come?
It’s 3 AM, I’m stuck at the airport. Cabs are all gone and I need a ride home. I ask MY BROTHER to come and pick me up from the airport. Will he come?
It’s 3 AM, I’ve been busted with a DWI and I call my brother to come and bail me out of jail. Will he come?
The scenarios above address the issue of familiarity and how easy it is to help me. Would you come get me at the airport? Maybe, because you realize that you would then be able to call in a favor from me. However, you would definitely think twice about leaving your cozy little bed to come get me. In the second scenario, my brother would not be very happy about it, but he would come and get me from the airport if I were stranded. In the third scenario, I think my brother would probably think it was good for me to stay in jail overnight for my terrible behavior and would likely wait until the morning to come and help.
The point of this is that when you are asking people to help you you need to consider 1) How well do they know you and 2) How easy it is for them to help you. The easier you make it on someone to help, the more likely you will get a quick reaction and a lot of help.
