Asking "Rookies" for Help.

Why is it that so many people, across vastly different situations, organizations, and settings fear the act of asking our juniors for help?

Is it because we genuinely believe they won't have the experience or insight to provide value? Or is it because we are afraid that it will point out that in SOME situations, that age and tenure aren't as valuable as we would like to think they are?

I've been a participant on both ends of the spectrum so I can understand the psychological reasons for it. But today I'm going to take a mental snapshot of my feelings. I've done this many times in life, especially during my younger days when I was more likely to be follower. This snapshot is going to be a reminder to me for my future self to remember to seek out the advice of the rookies, the fresh faces, and even the arrogant youthful ladder climbers who think they know more than they actually do.

Imagination, unlike most skills, never gets better with age. In fact many may argue that it gets much more dull. As much as leaders will want to be the brains behind a great idea that saves or improves an organization, in the long run its much more important to use that intelligence and experience to make a decision to reach out for help.

The folks who are young and new are going to be able to drive so much creative thinking for you. Will it be refined and ready for implementation? Most likely not, but in the end that is the easy part. The idea is the king of any chess game and there will be plenty of pawns to carry it out. Don't be afraid to leverage those pawns for idea. Not all of them are going to be trying to take your spot on the board. Most of them will feel incredibly lucky and honored that their thinking skills are somehow contributing to the larger organization that they are part of.