A few years ago, we had to replace a couple of desktop computers at our office. That was my task as the resident I.T. guy. Pulling out the old machine and plugging all the wires into the new computer was the easy part, and really didn’t need or require any special knowledge or training — anyone else in the office could have taken care of that part.
A little more difficult was installing all the programs and getting the logins established, but the part that was the most troublesome was linking the new machine to the network to be able to access all the stored files. For several hours, I made attempt after attempt to connect it all without success. Not only was I not getting any of my work done, but folks in the office were beginning to wonder about my abilities to get things working properly.
My need to prove myself, coupled with my need to beat the machines, kept me going for a while longer. Suggestions were made that I call in a professional, but I wouldn’t hear of it. I needed them to know that I knew what I was doing. I needed to win. I refused to ask for help. Asking for help would have meant defeat. It would have meant admitting that I was in over my head. In my mind, asking for help would have been a chink in my armor – in my mind, it would have been a sign of weakness.
When I was finally ready to admit defeat, I called in a pro. When she arrived, it took her less than an hour to get things working properly. She gave me a bill for less than $100. It was almost funny – almost.
Could I have eventually gotten things to work? Yes – but how long would I have spent not getting my normal workload done? Did my asking for help really affect the opinions of the others in the office? No – I still knew more about those things than they did. Was my asking for help really a sign of weakness?
About a year later, another computer in the office needed to be replaced. I plugged everything in. I installed all the programs. I attempted to connect to the network. My attempt failed. I cursed out loud. But this time, after about 30 minutes, I called my pro.
I wasn’t going to waste all day a second time, not getting anything else done. I recognized my mistake early – I didn’t write down the steps taken to connect to the network when my pro was there the last time. Actually, I think I did write them down, but I lost the note.
I called my pro early on in the process this time because I recognized that this was beyond my ability. I recognized that there was someone that knew more about this type of thing than I did. I called in a pro because I knew I could be more productive that day doing my own work, rather than spending – wasting – time on a task that someone else could do for me. I felt better at the end of that day because I knew that I had made a better decision to get my work done, making more money for my company than it cost to have the work done.
I won’t say I thought that I was being courageous when I asked for help, but I know that I made the right decision.
I can point to several of my own clients that are great examples of this quote – they recognized that by delegating or outsourcing some of the tedious and mundane tasks to me – tasks that they may not know much about anyway – it would allow them to focus and devote more time to the tasks that would drive revenue to their business.
They had the courage to ask for help, and their businesses are stronger because of it.
When a client hires us to take care of their bookkeeping and other accounting needs, it does not show weakness – I think it is quite the opposite. Realizing that they need to outsource the work they don’t have time for shows me that they know their business and their company well enough to know that they need help – that is definitely a strength.
If you are having a hard time catching up, or are tired of wasting several hours per week keeping it all together – give us a call, we can discuss some of the challenges, and develop a strategy to help recoup some time and reduce some of the stress.