As hard as I try, I cannot do everything on my own.
Within the last few years I have realized my leadership abilities. I have used my leadership skills in group projects, internships and clubs. I enjoy being in control and I am good at taking charge. I am an organized person who can keep track of every deadline and get the work done by the due date.
However, this semester has taught me that no matter how hard I try I cannot do everything on my own and it is acceptable to ask for help.
I have taken on a lot this semester. An internship, which included starting and becoming president of a commuter club, running social media, planning an event and creating a website, classroom coaching and many classes that included group projects.
Part of my internship was to plan and run one commuter event. Due to other responsibilities and projects this task fell on the back burner for awhile. When it came time to plan the event I became very stressed. Within a few weeks I had planned out, bought all supplies and advertised for the, “Commuter Minute to Win It,” event that took place at the end of November.
I had taken on this task alone, without soliciting the help of my supervisor or commuter club members. I thought I could do it all on my own.
According to Harvard Business Review, “Asking for help is often perceived as a sign of weakness or ignorance, implying that someone can’t get their work done on their own.”
Though it was a small turnout, all attendees at the event had a great time. I would call that a success. However, if I would have asked for help I could have advertised a lot more. I could have used my energy to make flyers and posters. I could have saved myself a lot of stress and late night runs to the store.
This is the same pattern for a lot of what I do. I also started the Cabrini Commuter Crew by myself this fall.
If I would have asked for help more often in group projects and other responsibilities I could have had more time to breathe this semester and less time worrying.
According to Fortune, “Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.” The article then goes on to try to change your perception of asking for assistance.
Their first tip is simply to get over yourself because it is impossible to do everything on your own and you should not have to. Fortune also suggests getting the right people for the right job. Pay attention to the strengths and weaknesses of your colleagues and classmates to ask the right people for help when in need. Finally, “…reframe what it means to ask for help from ‘I am a weak, incompetent loser’ to ‘I am strategically allocating my time to focus on what matters most.'”
The Harvard Business Review also listed some tips for asking others for help. These include creating a positive reputation of helping others, knowing what you want to ask and asking SMART (specific, meaningful, action-oriented, real and time bound) questions.
I am proud of the hard work, dedication and successes I have had this semester. I think the leadership qualities that I possess will help me a lot in the future and I know I can work well independently and manage a team.
I would not go back and change anything but I realize now that asking for assistance does not make me a failure or weak, it helps me learn, grow and leads to a better outcome. It has taken a long time to come to this conclusion but I am glad I have.
