For thousands of years (thankfully) there have been those driven in life to help – themselves, others, the planet, animals, and life itself. The tools to help have been developed over the years through personal contact, community, education, science, philosophy, faith, public service, emergency service personnel, philanthropy, technology, better solutions and products, sports, music, art and adventure. A quick internet search finds over 59 million results when ’help’ is searched; ‘helpful products finds over 206 million results; helpful services nets 666 million results. A car manufacturer even promotes itself as ‘Helpful Honda.’ In 1965, the Beatles’ fifth album and film was titled Help! and you are welcome to sing along:
Help! I need somebody,
Help! Not just anybody,
Help! You know I need someone,
Help!
When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody’s help in any way,
But now these days are gone and I’m not so self assured,
Now I find I’ve changed my mind, I’ve opened up the doors.
In business, as in life, you have strengths and weaknesses, and in order to achieve your goals, you blossom due to your strengths and you open up the doors and look for help from friends and family, experts in specific fields like marketing, finance, sales, product development, manufacturing, or distribution to address your weaknesses. And as the cowboy philosopher Clint Eastwood once said- there are the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Those who can truly help you are invaluable. Their ideas and efforts will be accurate, thoughtful, and help you achieve the desired results. Keep the Good close and acknowledge their true help.
The Bad are those who betray their effort to help which can stem from an abundance of enthusiasm without direction or pushing services or products that do not accomplish the promoted results. No one needs to go through ‘due diligence’ for 12 months to get financial support or feel like lunchtime entertainment. No one needs ‘sales abuse’ when the buyer at the key account you really want won’t return your call, emails, texts, and messages by carrier pigeon.
The Ugly are those who covertly feign help but often cause havoc, confusion and delay or divert goal accomplishment. These are often the hardest to identify, but critically important to find and disconnect.
And how do you differentiate the Good, the Bad, or the Ugly? Yes, trusting your gut is always a primary test strip. Additionally, do your homework, ask for references. Create your Values Guide and evaluate your decisions and make choices that align. Allow a few mistakes but watch for commonalities that could indicate a blind spot. And yes, as success grows, remember help is a two-way street.
All of us here at Christie & Co are here to help take your Dream to Mainstream.
Gillian