Humans have a natural instinct to help others.
Imagine walking up to a stranger on the subway and asking them for their
seat. What about asking a random person on the street if you could
borrow their phone? If the idea makes you squeamish, you're not
alone--social psychologists have found that doing these very things
makes most of us almost unbearably uncomfortable.
But here's the funny thing: even though we hate to ask for help, most
people are wired to be helpful. And that's a good thing, because every
day in the modern, uber-collaborative workplace, we all need to know
when and how to call in the cavalry.
However, asking people for help isn't intuitive; in fact, a lot of our
instincts are wrong. As a result, we do a poor job of calling in the
reinforcements we need, leaving confused or even offended colleagues in
our wake.
This pragmatic book explains how to get it right. With humor, insight,
and engaging storytelling, Heidi Grant, PhD, describes how to elicit
helpful behavior from your friends, family, and colleagues--in a way
that leaves them feeling genuinely happy to lend a hand.
Whether you're a first-time manager or a seasoned leader, getting people
to pitch in is what leadership is. Fortunately, people have a natural
instinct to help other human beings; you just need to know how to
channel this urge into what it is you specifically need them to do. It's
not manipulation. It's just management.
