Jane Cordell on a new collaboration aimed at women. We've got questions, and we need your answers.

If another woman asks for your help, do you usually agree?

If you need help, do you ask another woman?

Is there a difference between your answers?

If there is a difference, why is that so?

Why do we often find it hard to admit that we need help?

Consider for a moment - What opportunities might we be missing out on by not admitting we need a hand?

Think about when you have helped out another woman. Maybe you introduced her to someone in your network with the right skills, knowledge or contacts of her own. This may have led to a fruitful partnerhip, job or even a new business starting. Or you may have offered an idea which resolved a problem which seemed  ‘easy’ to you but which had been blocking her from progressing. How did it feel to do that? Empowering? Yes: both for her and you.

So if you get into the habit of asking other women for help more often, you are also offering to empower the woman who helps you. It feels good to be asked and it feels great to be able to help. You are both lifted by the experience.

Could we women do more of this and bring about bigger positive changes as a result?

A women-led powerful social enterprise, The Connectives and Result CIC – the coaching and training social enterprise that I co-direct are informal ‘sister’ organisations. We have been teaming up to look at how we could promote greater willingness between women to ask for help. We would love to know what you think of our early seeds of ideas:

• Promote even more powerful connections between women who already regularly support other women. How can we learn from them and improve our practices?
• Help break down barriers which may stop women from admitting they need help.
• Keep it simple and time-limited: focus on just doing one thing on a regular basis to support another woman.

Are we on the right lines with this? What do you think? How have you helped other women? What is needed to make this happen even more often? Please join this dialogue and add or send us your comments to info@resultcic.com. Thank you!

Photo: three women who met on the Ideas Into Action programme and who decided to support each other.

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