I was walking through the City of London on my way to a lunch meeting last week when I saw a young woman standing opposite The Bank of England holding up a homemade sign.
Something about the sign caught my attention, but she turned away from me as I got closer (I didn’t take it personally!). So, as I passed her, I looked back around and, sure enough, the sign said ‘Looking 4 Advice – Professional Networking’.
I thought I might be able to help in some way! I stopped and introduced myself and we started chatting.
It turned out that Sonya is an accomplished entrepreneur, author and BBC Radio presenter who is writing a book on the topic. She was grabbing some ‘vox pops’ from people on the street.
Never being known to be shy of a camera and microphone, I shared a few tips on camera and we connected before I carried on towards my meeting.
I loved her approach and admire her for it. I don’t know many people who would be happy to stand at a busy commercial junction with a sign asking for advice. But people love sharing their thoughts and opinions – maybe we should do this a bit more!
OK, you don’t necessarily need to stand on the street and ask strangers for help during your lunch break. But how often do you avoid asking for help because you’re worried about what people will think of you and try just to plough a lonely furrow?
Many people have shared with me their reticence to ask for help. Hopefully, Sonya can inspire you to take a step toward doing so today.
