You can’t do it alone and you can’t get help easily either

By Rajesh Setty on Thu 10 Jul 2008, 9:54 PM – 2 Comments

One option is to have simple goals. Goals that you can achieve easily. Goals that won’t make a big difference in your life or in the lives of others. Goals that really don’t matter.

The next option is to have big goals – goals that can change you and more importantly – goals that can change the world around you for better.

For that, you need help.  And, how do you get that?

In simple terms, here are some tips:

1. You build an identity big enough that people are willing and open to help you. Building an identity is a lifetime process – you can start it but I don’t think you can ever end it.

2. You help others early while growing in your career. In fact, it is also a lifetime process. You can end it but it is better that you don’t. A sub-set of people will reciprocate your help.

3. You engage in activities that will help multiple people at once. Imagine you were completing a task and a thousand people benefitting from it. That’s leverage like no other.

4. You ask for help. But before you do, remember that you have to earn the right to ask for it. Nobody is entitled for any help – automatically – unless you have an emotional relationship with them.

Help is really a two way street. Take a look at this help matrix. There are four quadrants. Here are the descriptions:

1. Clueless: In this category, the person can’t get help and neither he has the power to reciprocate if he ever gets help. Needs serious help.

2. High Cost: The person gets a lot of help but can’t reciprocate. These are people who know how to convince others to help them – probably for the first time ONLY. Once others realize that they are “high cost” slowly people will move away from them.

3. High Potential: Here the person has the ability to reciprocate. This category is filled with smart people who can return the favors easily but they don’t want to accept any favors as they don’t want to feel guilty – just in case they can’t return the favor. Or simply  they think that they can do it all by themselves.

4. High Leverage: This is the winning category. Only a small percentage of smart people get here. They know that they need help. They are happy to receive it and they are happy to reciprocate to the extent possible. You can never go wrong with them.

Have a wonderful Friday!

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