Key leadership/management tip: Reframe how you offer your help

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This just in for managers: by saying “what can I do to help?” you are inadvertently doing yourself and your team a disservice.

Instead of asking that, or “how can I help?” ask:

“What’s one thing I can do to help you this week?”

Watch a video version of these tips, and explore how working with a leadership coach can help you become a more effective leader.

This reframing of the same question grants your leadership style the following 3 benefits:

1. It time-boxes your ask to this week: this allows enough time within a frame that aligns with their weekly rhythm of work, while activating the recipient’s critical thinking skill tp make the request more actionable.
2. It focuses the ask by zeroing in one “one” thing you can help with. Everyone can think of one thing, whereas thinking about all the things at once can be paralyzing.
3. Making a request, rather than an offer enables you to take charge as a leader, by directing your team to leverage you, while leaving the choice of how you help to them prevents micromanagement.