Do you have a Sally in your office? You know, just someone whose name you hear very often through the day. Usually in this manner:
– Hey Sally, can you do this for me?
– Absolutely! 100%. I got you.
Two minutes later you hear someone else going:
– Hey Sally, can you help me with this presentation to make sure everything looks good?
– Sure! Glad to help you.
It’s not about the name though. Not all Sally’s are super helpful. That person might be called Jane, or Bob, or Derek. But one thing is for sure: it’s a person you can rely on to help you at any time you need them to.
Did you ever wonder why they do that? The reason is they are building a relationship with you by helping you. The ancillary benefit to them is that they create advocates within their organization so that when stress comes along for them, they will be more likely to ask for help from others. But don’t think their help is false: they are actually super helpful and super kind. A typical example of an S personality style.
Being an S personality style is not easy, though. They so often suffer from analysis paralysis. They feel the conflict in themselves: who to help first? Where to start? I also have my things to do. How can this be solved?
If you want to “help the helper”, make sure that the S’s in your organization; whether you’re working with them, or for them, know what’s on the plates of the people that they’re working for.
It is (well, not just because of S styles) important that it is known in your department who’s reporting to who and what time they’re supposed to be doing what, what are the parameters, what’s their job description.
“Sally” in your organization will benefit tremendously from this. “She” wants to help everyone, but can’t necessarily do that all the time. Giving that little bit of clarification for that S personality style in the means of prioritization will go a long way both for them, and your team as a whole by working together. Teamwork makes the dream work, right? Cheesy? Yes, but it is true. Find out more about finding that perfect balance of having an S style finishing their job and helping others as well HERE in my podcast, or on my YouTube channel.
Featured image source: Business photo created by yanalya – www.freepik.com
