We have all been in situations at work when we could use some assistance from others. It could be a formal management position where you are delegating work to subordinates or an effort that requires input or action from others within your team or even a cross-functional project that requires assistance from other departments or business functions.
But, employees may become frustrated when asking others to help with completing tasks because the work isn’t done promptly or might not be done to the expectations of the person assigning the task. Here are some tips for making it easier for others to help you.
Provide Examples/Templates
To the extent that you need a number of individuals or teams to provide similar information or complete similar tasks—i.e., reporting on some metric—create a template, or example, that you can share to help ensure you get back what you want.
Have a Preliminary Meeting …
While not always applicable—some asks may involve one-off requests or ongoing requirements—initiating a project for which you need help from others can greatly benefit from a preliminary meeting during which you have a two-way conversation to explain the ask.
Even if some people in the room don’t ask questions, it’s very often the case that someone will ask something others are wondering. A meeting is a great way to make sure everyone is on the same page from the outset.
… But Also Provide Written Instructions for Reference
Even with a preliminary meeting, written instructions for reference are a huge benefit when asking for work from a group of people. While creating these instructions may take some extra time on your part initially, it will save time in the long run because you won’t be bombarded by multiple people with the same questions over and over again. While you’ll likely still receive some questions, when you do, you can refer people back to your written instructions.
Close the Loop Through Effective Feedback
Especially if you anticipate having additional situations in which you’ll need to ask for help from others, provide feedback every time, both positive and negative. This will help shape the results you get in the future.
Having others chip in on your projects is great, as long as they’re doing what you ask properly. Utilizing the tips above is a simple way to help ensure you’re getting what you need from those who are pitching in.