My old boss changed how I think about asking for help

At my first real job in Chicago, my manager caught me staring at a spreadsheet for 20 minutes. I was too proud to admit I didn't know how to do a pivot table. She just said "you're costing us more by sitting there than by asking me." That one sentence stuck with me for years. Has anyone else had a boss say something that just clicked for you?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_hart681mo ago

Keeps coming back to me too. That line about "you're costing us more by sitting there" really reframes the whole thing, makes you realize asking for help is actually the efficient move not the weak one.

shanel131mo ago

The efficient move not the weak one" - exactly. Pride costs companies real money and nobody talks about it.