Skip to main content

How Much Help?

Did you ever offer someone help and then realize that they needed way more help than you could give?

We often say we'd like to help, but keep it so general that the person receiving the offer doesn't know what it means. And, if they think it means "help with everything" that can be a bigger load than we're ready to carry.

Be careful about assuming that a little help is all anyone needs.

Some people need more. It might be too much.

I've learned to offer specific things - can I cut your lawn? can I review your notes with you? can I come over and keep you company for an hour? can I take you out for coffee and chat?

We know what specific offers mean and can accept them or let them go. It's something. And, if they need more -- we can always offer something more. But not the moon. You probably can't deliver the moon.

-- Doug Smith


key words:

Comments

  1. David SpiegelSeptember 9, 2015 at 11:55 AM

    How often have we been let down by those who have said"you can count n me!"

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

High Performance Leadership Combination

We can rationalize anything without making it justified. Leaders should always ask: who is this good for other than me?  High performance leadership does NOT mean performance at any cost. It means performance that serves a noble cause while also benefiting people. High performance leadership is a combination. Results without relationships are shallow and temporary. Take care of both, and you'll be a high performance leader. -- doug smith  
Post a Comment
Read more

Your Reputation

More authority means higher levels of responsibility. More power requires more service to others, not less. What you do with your power is who you will be known as. Also, how you use the power you have creates who people will remember you as. How do you want to be remembered? -- doug smith  
Post a Comment
Read more

Personally

Improving performance does require us to take our work seriously. But it does not require us to take ourselves too seriously. Taking things personally is a waste of self-esteem. -- doug smith  
Post a Comment
Read more

Start With Kindness

When you start with kindness you don't have to stay there, but you probably will. It works better for others. It works better for you. If you're human, you'll probably relapse. It does take practice to stay the course. The course starts by starting. When you start with kindness, it becomes more naturally the way. High performance leadership develops from the core leadership strengths of clarity, creativity, courage, and compassion. Build one of those strengths today thru some act of kindness and the others will get stronger as well. -- doug smith  
Post a Comment
Read more

For example

Get good at something that won't obsolete itself. For example: emotional intelligence creating great conversations encouraging people leadership What would you add to the list? Which ones are you developing? -- doug smith  
Post a Comment
Read more

Decide

What do you want? Are you getting what you want? Intention is direction. Decide. And, then go. -- doug smith  
Post a Comment
Read more

Measures Matter

Some people measure quantify first and quality later. Some people measure money first and impact to the team later (not even second!). How you measure productivity might determine your character and your reputation. Put people first.  -- doug smith
Post a Comment
Read more

Show Integrity

The goals we seek bring a lot of pull to them. We get wrapped in them.  It's useful and it's powerful when we care about our goals so much that they propel us forward and keep us working even when we're tired, beyond the boundaries of our usual limitations. But they should not take us beyond the boundaries of our usual values. They should not trick us into bending the rules just because the rules are in the way. Truly high performance leaders of character who are focused, and centered, and noble maintain integrity. No cheating is ever worth the outcome. Integrity is so rare that many people don't even recognize. If you do, be thankful. We need leaders like you. To truly understand integrity you've got to keep it. Even when it's hard. Even the lines are blurred.  -- doug smith
Post a Comment
Read more