Teamership: The support of others
Here in Australia, one of our television networks, SBS, has just started screening a local version of an international TV series called Alone. The premise is simple - 10 people get dropped into the wilderness with a few basic supplies. The last one who is not removed from the area (voluntarily or involuntarily on medical grounds) wins the cash.
The premise is simple. Executing it is not. Here’s how the network describes what faces the contestants. They will be “challenged by the merciless forces of nature, hunger, and perhaps the toughest challenge of all: loneliness”.
If there is one thing that the show highlights to me, it is that humans are not built to live alone.
We are social creatures who need each other to function properly. This plays out physically - groups can better provide all members with shelter, food and clothing. It also plays out psychologically and emotionally - it is fascinating that loneliness is the toughest challenge of all.
All of this leads me to this week’s question:
How can others help you be at your best?
If we accept that we are each better able to function as a part of a group, it makes sense that we would identify some of the ways that we are able to be supported by others. This is a helpful first step - I’ll get to the second step shortly. If you aren’t sure, here are a few ways that I have observed (and previously written about) people being helped by others:
As part of a network that supports, challenges or keeps them accountable
By spending time together that is not connected to a specific work task
These are just small samples. The point is that each of us can benefit from different support at different times. Identifying the way that you can be helped is an important skill to develop.
Perhaps more important is the second step - actually asking for help. There is plenty of research that suggests that the reason that people don’t get the help that they need to be at their best is simply that they don’t ask. Wayne Baker and others out of Ross Business School in Michigan have found that most of us can benefit from what they call “thoughtful requests”. In his book, All you have to do is ask, Baker cites research that found that “asking for help makes us better and less frustrated at our jobs.”
This is all good news for anyone aiming to be at their best more often - learning to identify the ways that you can be helped and then considerately seeking that assistance can bring out our best.
A few questions for you to consider this week:
How can others help you to be at your best?
What stops you from asking for the help that you need?
Could you make a thoughtful request this week?