“Could you do this for me?”

When you need something done, and you’re not sure how to do it, it’s smart to ask for help.

But what kind of help will actually be the most valuable?

For example, here’s a real conversation (paraphrased) with one of my clients last week:

Client: Hey Allen, we’ve hired a new staff member who needs to start using CiviCRM. Can you create a user account and get them set up?

Allen: I could, but how about I show you how to do that, so you don’t have to wait on me (and pay me) every time you need something similar?

Client: Oh, can we do that? Yes, that would be great!

Maybe you think “creating a new user” is a silly example, because to you that’s a simple task.

But that’s a relative matter. For this client, it was a mystery — until it wasn’t. We all have something new to learn next.

Once you’ve learned it, you no longer have to pay someone to do it for you, which is nice.

But what’s even better: you never have to wait for someone to do it for you. When you know (or someone on your team knows) how to do it, it’s often faster to do it yourself than to describe the need to someone else.

Having someone do it for you sounds appealing at first.

But learning how to do it is often the better option.

All the best,
A.