We recorded the sessions for Leadercast: GHOAT (Greatest Habits of All Time) last week, which will premiere on May 8. The speakers were great, and their talks are already shaping my thoughts about life and leadership.
At the first break, a member of the studio audience asked me what we were going to do with the large styrofoam goat on stage. He said he would like to take it home if we didn’t have plans for it.
I checked with a few team members, and our guest left with a large goat in the back of his midsize SUV.
I relayed this story to several people, and everyone asked, “What was he going to do with the goat?”
Honestly, I don’t know.
But it reminds me of the power of asking.
He wanted the souvenir, so he asked, and he received.
Were there other people in the audience who wanted the goat?
Probably.
Did they get it?
No.
Why?
They didn’t ask.
During her speech, Manjit Minhas told a story about asking a well-known industry expert in her field for help when she was starting out. He did not know her. She asked for more than was to be expected, and he gave her what she was looking for.
Why?
She asked.
One of my key takeaways from last week is to get better at asking for what I want.
After all, most people enjoy helping others.
While I was out of town last week, we had an unexpected delivery to our house. I asked a neighbor if he would move the large box off my porch into my garage. He graciously agreed and made it seem like it was a pleasure to help me.
Asking for help is a great way to build relationships.
The rugged individualism that runs through American culture is not healthy. We need each other, and one of the best ways to get closer to people is to ask for their help.
My main goal should not be to look good but to get the right things done and done well.
I’ll admit it. I don’t like to look like I don’t know. It’s stupid and prideful, but it is a reality.
There is a country phrase that describes that type of person. “He’s all hat. No cattle.”
In other words, they want to look like a rancher without being a rancher.
But as I enter the second half of life, I want to be the real deal, authentic, and a true leader, so I have to get over my ego and admit I don’t know.
It’s better to be all cattle, no hat.
So Tuesday’s Takeaway is IMPROVE AT ASKING FOR HELP.
Starting now.
