Go Ask A Whitebeard

Seek advice from those with experience

When I refer to a whitebeard I don’t mean Santa Claus. Though, I’m sure he’d have plenty of advice to share. I’m talking about seeking advice from those (men and women) with experience. In my opinion, this is another critical skill to cultivate.

“Hang Out with People Who are Better than You.”
— Warren Buffett

For many, seeking advice from those with experience will allow you to develop better solutions to problems. Everyone wants to get better. The important question is, how do you do it more efficiently and effectively?

I often tell my kids and others that failure is our greatest teacher. This post would be the size of a small novel if I shared my failures in my professional and personal career. But I can say with certainty that each failure, big or small, was a valuable lesson and helped me move forward. So I encourage my kids to ask me about anything. Chances are I’ve been there.

Sure, you can do a google search to find solutions but there’s nothing better than learning from those who you know or admire that have been in the trenches. Seeking guidance from those with experience can also help you overcome bias, your own self serving rational and other flaws. Again, we’ve been there and we’ve made those mistakes already so why not learn from them?

Some think that asking for advice is a sign of weakness or will makes you look stupid. It’s the opposite. Recent research from Francesca Gino at the Harvard Business School saw that people who worried about looking weak realize that seeking advice has the opposite effect—it makes you seem smart, and endearing to your colleagues and superiors in the process. It shows you are serious about an issue or pursuing some sort of opportunity.

Here are some ideas:

Work your network and identify five people to have coffee (or a phone or zoom call) over the next two months in your field. Put together a list of questions about their experience and ask them to share advice. Trust me, they’ll love to do it.

The next time you are faced with even the smallest problem, take a breath and reach out to someone for their advice. It will take little time but I would bet the insight will make the effort priceless.

Two more things before you go….

I’ve made an effort to eliminate all non-work-related social media (another post for another time) but I do have a twitter account called @thegogettersr where I share articles I like about personal growth. Go ahead and follow if that’s your thing.

Finally, I’m looking to reach 50 subscribers by the end of the month. It’s all about small incremental goals. If you enjoy this newsletter, please share this post and thegogetter with friends. Many thanks.