Helen Green

I’m afraid to ask

What’s the leader/team member relationship like within your organisation? Are discussions free-flowing and open or are there some boundaries which it is hard to cross?

If you feel a measure of constraint when discussing some topics then you’re not alone. A new survey from CV-Library has revealed that asking for a pay rise or change in working conditions is still approached with a measure of diffidence. In fact, the subject of pay comes top of the list of five things which London professionals most hate to ask with promotion, time off and flexible working requests also coming in for a mention.

These are all topics which verge into the personal and it therefore perhaps not surprising that raising them may feel awkward. What is perhaps more concerning is that number five on the list of things we don’t like to ask is a request for help with a task. A reluctance to ask for help in this area speaks volumes about the relationship between leaders and their teams and would certainly indicate that leadership qualities such as enabling and encouraging may require some development work.

Luckily the report also reveals that our diffidence diminishes over time with just 10% of us reporting continuing unease throughout the time of our working relationship.