Hey, can you help me with something? No!

     We’ve all been in this situation at one point. You have an issue within your job that requires help beyond your normal abilities or roles. So what do you do? If you like to do your job or at least take pride in your work, you go seek out the help from your boss. With issue in hand, you walk to your supervisor or manager and present the issue your customer has. What happens next? The person you ask for help becomes of no help and you are left holding the bag. Not a good time now is it? Why is it so many times when going to someone that is in a place of support they become no support at all?

     I am finding more and more of this happening in the work place. I have been privileged to be part of a network of workers and managers that have openly expressed these same concerns. Most of them do not have an answer on how t cures it. Others just say if you have someone who is not going to help the others, then it’s time to move them out of the organization. Then there are the ones who want to see what you would do. How would you solve this issue? For myself, I prefer to handle the situation if others cannot. I'm no miracle worker, I just have taken time to build up relationships in other areas of my company and reach out to them when needed and only when needed. In return, if anyone should call on me, I do whatever I can to help them. Of course this is nothing new and exciting but for some reason as we move up the ladder into positions of authority, we lose that mindset.

     My reason for this little story is to make all of us aware that when someone comes to ask for helps, most of the time they truly need it. I know we have had coworkers or employees come and ask for help because they just don't want to look for the answer themselves. Those are the people you should look into limiting exposure to yourself and your customer at that point. It’s the other group that gets the same treatment and really should be looked at a little differently. The group that wants to help the customers and make them happy. Ignoring the cries for help s the fastest way to sink a business and turn a working relationship to a hostile one real quick.