How to ask for support at work

As I have more and more conversations with business leaders, it is apparent we are all 1) exhausted from these ~unprecedented times~, 2) worried about the future state of our business/the economy and 3) worried about our team. 

Questions arise -

“How can I best support my team?”

“How can I ensure they are doing their best work despite everything happening around them?”

“Am I a good leader?”

So today, I’m sharing 3 tactical steps to help you encourage your team to ask for the support they need. 

Because now more than ever, we all need as much support as we can get in order to successfully adapt to our hybrid and incredibly relentless working environment. 

In order to create a productive, inclusive, and resilient culture, we need to empower our team members to understand exactly what type of support they need and then how to ask for it. Because when times are hard and confusing, it’s hard to know every challenge every person is dealing with (not to mention - you are busy keeping your business up and running!). So help them, help you. 

Here's how to empower your team:

First, it's important to evaluate what type of support they may need

It's easy to blame a mean client or the economy or our managers when we are having a tough time at work. But I would challenge you to specifically ask your team “What does support look like for you?”

Second, have them practice communicating what they need

Give them a guided prompt, “In a perfect world, I would need [.......] in order for me to be successful in my role” 

Lastly, empower them to ask for help

“I would like […. ] so can you help me [….]?"

Then, reinforce the communication practice

• In team meetings, consistently communicate to the team they are always encouraged to ask for help and to ask for support. 

• In emails, ask how you can help. 

• In 1:1’s or performance reviews, give them the floor to openly communicate and ask for the support they need. 

And here’s an example of what asking for support would look like - 

“Hey boss, I've been thinking about how I can better serve our clients. In order to me to do my job to the best of my ability, I need to be able to have more meaningful meetings with every client I support. I have too many clients for me to do be able to do this at the moment. Can you help me figure out a way to help me lessen my client load and/or get more support?”

KEY difference maker - Action on the ask.

Team members will not feel empowered to ask for help if it is not received well or actioned on. Even if you cannot comply with the request, communicate the limitations and work to creatively address the issue.

We all need support but we don’t always know how to ask for help. This is a start.