In a blog post that touches on the power of asking for help, adapted from his new book The Earned Life, the renowned leadership expert and bestselling author Marshall Goldsmith talks about how top leaders need to know what they need — and to ask for help to capitalize on that.
Goldsmith writes: “There are moments when asking for help is clearly the better choice, and you decline to do so. Beware two situations in particular. The first is when you are ashamed to seek help because doing so will expose your ignorance or incompetence. The teaching professional at a golf club once told me that fewer than 20% of the 300 members at her club had ever taken a lesson from her. They were too embarrassed by their faulty swing to let her help them. ‘I pay my bills giving lessons to the 30 or 40 best golfers at the club,’ she said. ‘They only want to shoot better scores. They don’t care how they got there or who helped them. Their scorecard doesn’t care, either.’ The second situation begins when you tell yourself, ‘I should be able to do this on my own.’ You fall into this trap when the task you’re facing is adjacent to knowledge or a skill you think you already possess.”
The often-conflicting nations of Europe have come together in the face of Russian aggression. The latest is a collective plan to wean themselves off dependence on Russian oil and gas. The European Union just released a $317 billion plan aimed at ending its dependence on Russian energy within five years. The European countries plan to cooperate to negotiate gas supply deals from producers in the U.S., the Middle East, and Africa to replace energy from Russia. The countries are also funding an expansion of projects for renewable energy. Russia’s invasion has intensified pressure on Europe to work together to shift away from fossil fuels — to ask for help from each other.
In The Earned Life Goldsmith uncovers the source of today’s existential crises, including regrets that stem from choices that irrevocably alter our lives, reroute destinies, and haunt our memories. These are particularly timely themes today.
With Goldsmith’s book as a guide, readers can close the gap between what they plan to achieve and what they actually get done—even in a world full of inescapable unfairness and curveballs—and live an earned life that is fulfilling in the long run.
You can read Marshall Goldsmith’s blog here.
About MARSHALL GOLDSMITH
Marshall Goldsmith has been recognized for years as the world’s leading executive coach and the New York Times bestselling author of many books, including What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Mojo, and Triggers. He received his Ph.D. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. In his coaching practice, Goldsmith has advised more than 200 major CEOs and their management teams. He and his wife live in Nashville, Tennessee.
About THE EARNED LIFE
In THE EARNED LIFE (Currency Books), Marshall Goldsmith uncovers the source of today’s existential crisis: regret, the kind stemming from choices that irrevocably alter our lives, reroutes destinies, and haunts our memories—particularly timely themes as the pandemic and Great Resignation inspire people to seek meaning in their lives, get unstuck and make changes. With this book as their guide, readers can close the gap between what they plan to achieve and what they actually get done—even in a world full of inescapable unfairness and curveballs—and live an earned life too fulfilling to dwell on the “what ifs.”
If you’d like more information on Marshall Goldsmith, The Earned Life, and his work, please get in touch with Lyda Goldsmith.
