Harvard Business Review, IdeaCast: The Art of Asking for (and Getting) Help, with Wayne Baker

Alison Beard of HBR IDEACast, Harvard Business Review, interviews Wayne Baker

The Art of Asking for (and Getting) Help

Are you a overly generous giver? What is an overly generous giver? In this interview Wayne outlines different types of givers and helpers, such as help seeking- autonomous vs dependent. Baker also describes the importance of two main ideas of how to being generous and help people, freely.

The two discuss the difference in a willingness to ask for help across several demographics, including junior vs senior levels or leaders, men vs women, and across cultures and ages.

Beard questions Baker on proven methods in asking for help when you don’t know exactly what you need or who to ask for it. Later Baker outlines the acronym SMART and how to make a “SMART” request.

They discuss cross-collaboration workshops and how to roll them out in your team.

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Thrive Global | Why You Should Always Ask For Help, Even if You Don’t Think You Need it

“You never know what people know—or who they know—until you ask.”

Wayne Baker contributes to the Wisdom section of Thrive Global in this informative story all about asking.

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Eric Tremuende's One-Degree Shift Podcast With Wayne Baker

How is it that we can get exactly what we want if people don’t know what we’re looking for? Maybe all we really have to do is ask! Being as distracted  as we are, it can be difficult to truly understand what someone is looking for and mustering the courage to ask a SMART question isn’t easy. Duration:19:05

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Wayne Baker Answers Questions about Asking in Quora Session

Wayne Baker, author of All You Have to Do Is Ask answers questions on Quora about asking in this live session on February 18, 2020. Below are a few of the questions that are answered in detail.

• What are the main barriers to asking for what you need—and how can I overcome them?

• As an old aged person what's your best advice for a person who is in his 20s?

• How can introverts ask questions boldly?

• What should I never ask?

• Why is asking the key to generosity?

• Is it possible to be too generous?

• Will automation lead to loss of jobs?

• How do I figure out what to ask for?

• Why is it important for a business to create a culture of generosity?

• Can technology help to create a culture of generosity?

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Ask and Thou Will Succeed | Wayne Baker Contributes to Seattle PI

“It’s critical to understand that help rarely arrives un-asked for,” according to Wayne Baker, author of All You Have to Do is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for Success. “In fact, studies have shown that as much as 90 percent of the help that is provided in the workplace occurs only after requests for help are made.” And research shows that people who regularly seek advice and help from knowledgeable colleagues are actually rated more favorably by supervisors than those who never seek advice and help.

It’s also critical to normalize mistakes. According to Baker, in the start-up world of high-tech companies, there is often the mantra of “fail fast.” The focus is on normalizing mistakes and viewing iteration as a necessity for continuous learning.

Many companies are looking for models to encourage asking questions and have adopted Reciprocity Rings, which are dynamic group exercises focused on the “pay-it-forward” principle. This enables people to get the information they need and solve problems, while energizing the group and creating stronger, more trusting relationships.

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Forbes Covers Wayne's Research and Widespread Reciprocity Ring Experiment Launched by Daniel Pink

Bestselling author and speaker Daniel Pink just launched a free online “Reciprocity Ring” for his 170,000 newsletter subscribers.

His three goals are-

• To make it easy to ask for help or to be a giver in just a few minutes;

• To tap the collective intelligence of newsletter subscribers and enhance the value of their subscription;

• To unleash an epidemic of generosity.

“Givitas says science confirms that engagement, loyalty, productivity, efficiency, and even profitability are all outcomes of creating a generous culture where people have equal access to one another. Collaborative, connected, generous groups outperform others in terms of employee and customer satisfaction, retention, and overall business performance.”

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Small Business Trends Reviews 'All You Have to Do Is Ask'

A book review entitled “Need Help in Your Business? Read All You Have to Do is Ask” by Ivana Taylor of Small Business Trends

“And since we’ve already established that you aren’t likely to ask for help, why not get a book to help you?”

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Bottom Line Inc | Learning to Ask for Help is the Key to Every Door |

Asking a question is a simple act. Yet, asking someone for help often can be overwhelming. Many prefer to suffer alone rather than risk feeling uncomfortable. 

Besides simply needing assistance, not reaching out to others—whether for information, referrals, help with a personal challenge or advice about a demanding work project—can keep you from learning new things, achieving goals and making social connections. 

This article explores the 5 myths about asking for help that stop us-

Myth #1: “I should be self-reliant.”

Myth #2: “I’ll look lazy.” 

Myth #3: “I don’t know anyone who can help me.” 

Myth #4: “People don’t want to be bothered.” 

Myth #5: “I’ll be indebted.”  

The post touches on other topics such as “How to ask successfully, What if they say “No,” and How to expand your network.

Second City Works | Getting To Yes, And... | Podcast With Wayne Baker

The Second City has produced some of the most unforgettable satire and influential comedians of the last sixty years. Its pioneering methods inspire the mindsets and behaviors that lead to rapid innovation and incomparable content. Second City Works uses those same methods to create professional development, content, and events that drive personal growth and organizational improvement.

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Host Kelly Leonard talks to Dr. Wayne Baker who teaches in the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan about his new book "All You Have To Do Is Ask: How To Master The Important Skill for Success."

I finished your book over the weekend and happened to be listening to a podcast where they were interviewing the poet David White and he was talking about how human beings can be reluctant to ask themselves and others a beautiful question.

“It's true. People have a great reluctance to ask questions and it comes from a couple of different reasons, a couple of barriers or obstacles to asking. People are concerned that they're going to appear to be incompetent or weak or that they can't do their job. But, you know, what's interesting here is that we need to update our beliefs based on evidence from research. There was some new research done by a Harvard Wharton team and they learned that as long as you make a thoughtful request, people will think you are more competent, not less.”

And you have scientific evidence that asking people for help is a good thing.

“People want to help. And you know, when you are vulnerable, when you ask for what you need, you discover that you can be more creative and perform better at your job. Tasks are easier to do. No one is an island or completely self-reliant. When we ask for what we need, we get the inflow of resources, ideas, opportunities, referrals, connections - all sorts of things that we need to be productive.”

I found it interesting that you talk about teams needing both strong internal and external relationships to maintain health and productivity.

“Absolutely. The best teams have strong internal relationships and external relationships. So you can imagine if you don't have good internal relationships where people feel psychologically safe, to give and get help, to ask questions and to admit mistakes, that would be a problem. Some teams have that, but they work in isolation and you know, they're just one out of the whole network. Teams need input from other parts of the organization, even outside of the organization. And they do that by cultivating give and take relationships.”

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Givitas and The Reciprocity Ring's Biggest Challenge... Asking. A Webinar with Give & Take Inc.

Wayne Baker, Co-founder of Give & Take Inc and Larry Freed, CEO of Give & Take Inc discuss the history and of the Reciprocity Ring and the biggest challenge that they uncovered in this exercise. Asking. This conclusion led to Baker writing his latest book, All You Have to Do Is Ask.

Listen to the recorded Webinar here:

Productivityist Podcast | Wayne Baker

“Asking for help can be a real challenge – and it keep us from reaching our full potential. The conversation we have on this episode should help you get better at asking. Dr. Baker and I discuss why we need help from others to be more productive, why generosity within a company isn't the issue when it comes to developing a culture where asking is fostered, and how leaders can use certain techniques and tools to build a habit of asking in themselves and their colleagues.”

How can company leaders help cultivate a culture of generosity and nurturing the idea of asking ?

Business Insider and Wayne Baker Debunk The 2 Big Myths About Asking For Help

Science agrees you should stop being afraid to ask for help. An expert debunks 2 big myths about why people don't.

Business Insider reflects on ‘All You Have to Do Is Ask,’ by Wayne Baker in a recent article and highlights major ideas from the book.

“Asking for help is something that everyone struggles with. One way to overcome this reluctance is to understand two common beliefs about asking and then to update these beliefs based on evidence from research…”

1) We underestimate other people's willingness and ability to help
2) We perceive there to be social costs of seeking help

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The 'All You Have to Do Is Ask' Journey | Infographic

Follow the path to learn the ‘ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS ASK’ process! 

Asking for what you need is the key to success. When you ask, you get the resources—information, ideas, advice, opportunities, referrals, connections, and more­­—that are so essential for high performance, superior productivity, satisfaction, and the ability to fulfill your purpose.

The journey begins with giving yourself permission to ask.  Learn how to surmount the obstacles to asking and reach the mountaintop.  From there, take the assessment to determine your dominant asking-giving style (a free digital version is on the website).  Determine your goals and needs, make SMART requests, and figure out who to ask.  Open the treasure chest to find dozens of tools for groups, teams, and organizations. Ready for the journey?

Please feel free to download this infographic and share it!

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The Real Challenge of Generosity | A Psychology Today Blog

Wayne Baker becomes a new Psychology Today’s columnist with the blog series ‘Master Your Success.’

His first post in this series is title ‘The Real Challenge of Generosity.’ “In every act of giving is also an act of receiving. In the workplace, people don’t ask because they dread the social costs of seeking help, or they prefer to be self-reliant…”

UM Ross, Thought In Action, Covers Insight From Baker's New Book

The University of Michigan, Ross School of Business recently interviewed Wayne Baker, author of All You Have to Do Is Ask on concepts and research from his new book. Highlights from the article are as follows:

• What does research tell us about the power of seeking help?

• How can a network of giving and receiving get us the answers or resources we need?

• Why can it be so difficult to ask for help?

• How can we change our attitude from “asking for help is a bad idea” to “asking for help is essential to success”?

• What can managers do to encourage asking for help?

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Wayne Baker Encourages You to Ask for Help on Hack the Process Podcast

A Show About Moving Mindfully From Planning Into Action

You know that one unobtainable thing you need? You might be able to get it just by asking, according to Dr. Wayne Baker. His new book, All You Have to Do is Ask, can tell you why it works and show you how to do it, based on years of research and work in the field of generalized reciprocity. In this episode of Hack the Process Dr. Baker will tell us how he structures his time to put writing at the start of his day, what surprised him about his initial research into generosity, and why it’s important to communicate the meaning of your request for help.

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Podcast Release: Do You Need To Ask For Help More?

Do You Need To Ask For Help More? Dr. Wayne Baker in ‘Making Positive Psychology Work’ Podcast with Michelle McQuaid

McQuaid is a best-selling author, wellbeing teacher and research in positive psychology, neuroscience, and business success.

In This Podcast You’ll Learn:

[03:15] – Wayne explains why being a good giver-requester at work shapes our success and wellbeing in workplaces.

[04:29] – Wayne outlines how his research on giver-requesters intersects with the research of Professor Adam Grant on being successful self-protective givers.

[06:07] – Wayne shares what the research is finding on how gender influences our ability to ask for help at work.

[06:57] – Wayne offers insights on how age and power influence our ability to ask for help at work.

[08:39] – Wayne outlines how psychological safety in our workplaces influences our ability to ask for help at work and what we can do to improve this

[10:34] – Wayne outlines the SMART criteria to make it easier to ask for help at work and for people to say yes.

[13:12] – Wayne shares his free assessment tool to measure your ability to ask for help and shares the findings surfacing from this new research.

[14:54] – Wayne shares the barriers that make it difficult for most people to ask for help at work and how we can overcome these.

[18:01] – Wayne shares why researchers are finding that you should ask people more than once for help.

[19:06] – Wayne provides some plug and play routines that workplaces can use to help make asking for help easier.

[20:34] – Wayne shares how we can map the energy for asking and giving within our teams to measure what is unfolding.

[21:23] – Wayne explains how mini-games can be used to playfully incentivize a group to ask for help to solve a problem together.

[23:22] – Wayne offers some tips to help recruit and reward leaders who are chief help seekers.

[24:50] – Wayne offers two cautions about asking for help at work.

[26:28] – Wayne completes the Lightning Round.

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Wayne Baker Unlocks the Power of Asking With Matt Bodnar | The Science of Success Podcast

Dr. Wayne Baker, Author of All You Have to Do Is Ask examines the power of asking with Matt Bodner, host of the podcast The Science of Success. In this interview Baker touches on many topics from his latest book, including how to make a SMART request, and why is it so hard to ask for what we really need.

Listen to the full interview here.

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Wayne Baker on Canvas Magazine's Podcast, 'Brush Strokes'

Mark Potter, host of the podcast Brush Strokes, interviews Dr. Wayne Baker about All You have to Do is Ask. In this interview Baker provides the secret to a culture of collaboration.

The Economist Publishes Expertise from Dr. Wayne Baker on Asking For Help

All You Have To Do Is Ask, Author Wayne Baker | Published Article in The Economist

Topics from the book ‘All You Have To Do Is Ask’ take center stage in The Economist Intelligence Unit “THE VALUE BETWEEN US - The role of social bonds in business success. The article and published report dive deep into the topic of asking and creating a culture of psychological safety in the workplace.

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“Social capital is not just the flow of knowledge and information.It involves the transfer of emotions and energy.”

— Dr. Wayne E. Baker

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“Firms must also fight reluctance to seek help. “People fear being perceived as incompetent, weak or lazy,” says Mr Baker, but the opposite is true. If you make an intelligent request, people will perceive you to be more competent.

One tactic is to implement structures that normalize the process of asking—and giving—such as a “reciprocity ring”. This is a group exercise in which individuals request help on specific issues, and other participants commit to tap their knowledge, wisdom or networks. It can be a one-time exercise or a regular, structured process. Another example is a “daily stand-up” in which employees say what they are working on and where they need help. “A manager who institutes these is creating conditions by which people will create and use social capital. Over time, as they see it work, people will ask for bigger things.”

— Dr. Wayne E. Baker

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