There's A Difference Between Asking For Help And Being Helpless [PART TWO]
Most student leaders should realize right off the bat that they're working in a volunteer organization. The students that they invite to come alongside and assist them in various roles and capacities will probably not be paid (with money$$). That means that a student leader will need to rely on their intrinsic motivation to encourage them with the opportunity to get involved.
This is so important to remember.
When you are asking another person for help, you must show them the benefit it will bring to them and the benefit it will bring to you. What will they get in return for their help?
It could be something as simple as a heartfelt thank you.
It could be knowing that they used their strengths and giftedness.
It could be a sense of helping someone else move forward.
It could be the good feeling of solving a problem.
It could be the feeling of being needed.
It could be a stronger relationship with you.
It could be the satisfaction of accomplishing something.
It could be the sense that they belong.
It could be understanding that their help will make something great happen for others.
There are many ways to tap into the intrinsic motivation of someone else. When you identify what that is for an individual, you can connect the task your needing help on to it. You can show them what they will receive by helping you.
Realize this: People will often do more because of intrinsic motivations like I've listed above then they will if they're simply receiving money for their work.
As a student leader, there will ALWAYS be times when you will need to seek the help of someone else. Consider some of these scenarios...
You find yourself in a situation where you know you are capable of taking action, but you're unable to focus for the required amount of time necessary to complete the action.
You find yourself in a situation where you feel like your organization will be in serious TROUBLE if you don't do the right thing.
You find yourself in a situation where you shouldn't tackle an issue on your own regardless of whether you have the time or not.
You find yourself in a situation where you know you're capable of taking action by you feel like you would be better off if someone else got involved to think through the options with you or take the action on themselves.
Of course there are many more scenarios that could warrant a student leader going to someone else for help. Yet each scenario has the possibility of paralyzing student leaders when they feel like they have to do everything themselves.
WARNING: Some student leaders will never reach out and ask someone else for help.
Don't let that be you. There are a variety of reasons why a student leader (in name only if no one is following you) will try to do things on their own and hesitate to ask. In fact, that's going to be the subject of my next post on this issue.
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