101: Seeking advice
Asking for advice at work isn't always easy. For leaders and managers, it's even more difficult; they don't want to appear less knowledgeable about their job or industry, after all. However, there are pluses to asking for insight when you're in a leadership role. “The best advice might be from someone who's on the ground, who's more hungry and less withdrawn from the actual day-to-day problems you're facing,” said billionaire Marc Andreessen, founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Here are some things to keep in mind when looking for the right answers.
Avoid saying, “Can I pick your brain?” It's better to ask open-ended questions to get more comprehensive insight into how the other person is thinking, says Forbes.com's Jill Griffin. Those questions can include, “Explain what you mean by … What would it look like if … Are there conditions under which … What is most important about …?” All sound less-intrusive than having your brain picked and will get the advisee to offer up more information.
Realize seeking employees' advice builds morale. It shows you trust them and their decision-making skills. “Even if you don't follow your employees' advice or take their suggestions verbatim, however, the very act of soliciting their feedback will give you more information and ideas and will make them feel involved,” said Dave Levinsky at FastCompany.com.
Don't worry. We can tell ourselves a million stories of why we shouldn't ask for advice: “They're busy. It will make me seem like an amateur,” etc. But according to an Inc.com article by Kate Rockwood, we as humans are wired to help. “A study from researchers at Cornell and Stanford found that people tend to underestimate – by as much as 50 percent – how willing others are to help when asked.”
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