One reason leading feels thankless is you don’t feel supported.
It’s likely others desire to support you. However, it may be that others don’t know how to support you.
For example, perhaps you’re frustrated because your day begins with a firestorm of questions and issues. Yet, you feel a need for fifteen minutes of solitude to organize your day. Have you explained your desire for fifteen minutes? Explaining it not only helps you, it helps others help you.
Are you frustrated because others expect your involvement when you want them to move forward without you? Perhaps asking a direct report where they desire your involvement will clarify, enable, and limit them from coming to you. When you clarify your level of involvement you enable them to move forward without you. When you help them, you help yourself.
Getting help from others is a way of giving help to those who want you to succeed.
One of the great questions to ask someone is, “How can I help?” One of the great statements you can make to others is, “Here’s how you can help me.”
Written by Dan Rockwell
Adapted from Leadership Freak, Helping Others Help You
