Ask for Help

So today I endeavored to resurrect an old piece of hardware. Last week I did the same with some software. Both of these projects seemed within my skill set and I started the projects with no hesitation. As it turns out though, I had issues with both projects and I had to ask for help. 

Often I see people struggle mightily to get a project or task done and they seem to refuse help. They want to do it on their own. Last year a woman on my development team just wanted to 'figure it out for her self'. Today, I just wanted to work it out on my own, so I can relate to the condition. 

Here is the thing. We can get a lot more productive work done if we ask for help. We can still learn, we can still accomplish, but we don't have to play the 'I don't need your help' game to do so. Ultimately, results are what matters. Getting the machine to boot, or the software to compile, or whatever it is is what counts. Saying that we did it on our own is only the icing on the cake. While I get how satisfying that is, that isn't typically what we're getting paid for. What the customer wants is to have a working solution, in a timely manner, for a reasonable price. 

So, if you are stuck, don't hesitate to ask for help. It shows maturity and wisdom to know when you need the help, and in the end it results in a happy customer.