Because of a gift from Twitter friend Ralf Lippold who I met (in person!) while he was attending a conference on Cape Cod, I just read a wonderful book by Edgar H. Schein entitled Helping, How to offer, give, and receive help. It is a great exposition of the importance of helping in a society. Beyond the general discussion, there are good lessons for people in business about the manner in which help is offered and received.
Here's is a short paragraph that I found compelling, headed, "Accepting help as a leadership function."
Many people in senior management positions have the power and the potential to be effective change managers through learning how to help, but their formal position and actual power often lead them into premature fixing. Those at the top of the ladder, in particular, are drawn to the expert and doctor role, whereas effective change management really requires the process consultant role. The dilemma of the organizational consultant is how to get across to clients that they need to learn how to be process consultants and accept the role as a legitimate and necessary part of being an effective leader.
