fbpx

I Heed Help!

Three words that ensure your continued success

By Stephen Garber

You’re a successful leader. You’re making your way to the top, if you’re not already there. You are an expert in your field, a trained professional, a prosperous entrepreneur and a highly effective leader. However, the words “I need help!” are the three most important words to ensure your continued success.

I get that very few of us think we are rewarded for saying, “I don’t know,” “I am not sure what to do” or “I need help.” It just wasn’t the way to the front of the line or the next promotion.

However, as our world of work and collaboration becomes more technical and moves even faster, the path to success is more and more about teams communicating, cooperating and collaborating to deliver great results – together.

Yes, sometimes we are asked to do so with people, teams or organizations that we don’t know well or with whom we are competitively vying for some reward or advancement. It can be hard to trust them.

In this case, it doesn’t seem logical to ask for help, but it is. Working together is the only way to really get ahead – even if it’s with the perceived competition. Being trustworthy is the rocklike foundation of any relationship, whether in life or at work. When we trust and are trusted, relationships prosper.

In my work during the last 30 years of helping teams prosper, the power of vulnerability is the one most compelling and, often, counterintuitive concepts. Most of us think of vulnerability as a weakness. Dr. Brené Brown, who has studied vulnerability as a leadership principle for years and consults some of the most successful companies on earth, says, “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.”

Here is what I’ve learned using this concept:

• Vulnerability is actually our greatest and most accurate measure of courage.

• Without knowing we are vulnerable, we cannot be courageous.

• Vulnerability represents uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure.

• If we are honest with ourselves, we feel vulnerable a lot!

• Vulnerability is seen by many of us as courage in you and weakness in me.

The reality is th141at the more we change the view of vulnerability in our minds to a positive, the more success we have as leaders, as teams and as businesses.

Try it. Tell someone who presents a challenge to you that you need their help. Your kid(s), your partners, the teams you lead. Maybe they will judge you as being weak. More likely, they will step into that invitation and offer you support in surprising and powerful ways. Your work will be easier. They will likely feel empowered. Your life will be better.

Steve Garber is director of Third Level Ltd. Contact him at 561.752.5505 or sgarber@thirdlevel.com.

You May Also Like

SMART Program Highlights Collaboration Between Broward Public School District and Local Businesses

Broward voters approved The funding through a bond referendum in November 2014.

CBRE Analysis Reveals Growth in Life Sciences Research Talent in South Florida

Miami/Fort Lauderdale ranks among the top 25 U.S. life sciences labor markets.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County Hosts Kickoff Party for CEO Build 2023

Participants can learn ways to get involved as a CEO Builder or Corporate Sponsor.

South Florida Manufacturers Association Holds 63rd Annual Meeting and Made in South Florida Showcase

The organization is the region’s leading resource for manufacturing companies.

Other Posts

Breaking News: Lifestyle Media Group is Honored by the FMA at the Charlie Awards

South Florida Business & Wealth and Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Win First-Place Awards.

The Success of a Region Is Signaled by One Data Point at a Time

A letter from Editor-in-Chief Drew Limsky.

limsky
Denise Rubin to Feature Exclusive Real Estate Listing on TV

Rubin has sold an array of multi-million dollar homes and condos in the South Florida market.

Chef and Bestselling Author Lenore Nolan Ryan CoAuthors Book on Life and Business

Ryan coauthored the book with Jack Canfield and other leading professionals.

Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.