I want to throw a challenge out to everybody reading. It's something that's been important to me in my career, and a lot of the people that I respect and have set the path forward in the training and development business are big proponents of this, so I want to share it with you.
I simply titled this, two heads are better than one. I'll make it quick. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. I know there's a lot of ego danger in putting our hands up and saying, "I don't get everything". "I don't have it all figured out." Business development is tough and trying to get everything right, when you're new in the business, or new at a company, new in an industry, man, you have got to be willing to add another head to the process to help you think clearly, and find out, not just what you know, but what you don't know.
Asking for help is a sign of healthiness, not a sign of weakness. Train yourself that your ego will survive you finding out you made a mistake in what you put together in a proposal, or a process to pursue an opportunity. It's okay, we learn more from the mistakes we make than the successes that we booked. If you want to win more, go out and fail more, and you'll actually develop a lot quicker in your career.
Look for a mentor. I've been lucky in my business as a consultant and as a trainer. I've had some great mentors, some people that have taken the time to tell me when I've been off track or out of line even. But they've really helped me learn way faster because they cared and committed to my success. They felt rewarded to give to others.
I'll take it a step further, look to become a mentor. One of the best ways to learn anything that you'll ever master, is to be a teacher of it. The best way to learn is to teach, and one of the best places to teach is in the role of a mentor. When you find someone that could use your help, and it'll allow you to reinforce some of the practices, and beliefs, and disciplines that keep you successful, share that with someone, because I'm just not a person that says, "well, he's new or she's new, and they've got to pay their dues before they're allowed to be successful." To hell with that!
There isn't a company in the world or an employer in the world, that wouldn't like their new people to be successful, quicker than what they're used to, or what they're expecting. Get out of the idea that you're just paying your dues, or scrub your brain of "I had to learn that way, so they need to learn that way". Get rid of that. That's old school, caveman management, be honest, and be supportive. Help someone get where you've gone, and help them get there sooner, quicker, with better learning, and the value of your experience.
Two heads are better than one. Make it happen.
