Asking Up, Why Is It So Hard? The James Altucher Show With Wayne Baker & Adam Grant

Why It's CRUCIAL To Learn How to Ask & Negotiate: I Talk to University of Michigan Professor Wayne Baker & Wharton Professor Adam Grant on How to Create More Opportunities & Make More Money

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We're all scared to ask for certain things: a raise, permission to work from home, more vacation time, seed money, an introduction, whatever. You know what it is for you. So I invited Wayne Baker, author of All You Have to Do Is Ask: How to Master the Most Important Skill for Success" and Adam Grant, esteemed Wharton professor and best-selling author of "Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World" to come on and share which tactics are best for motivating people, negotiating, asking for difficult things and more. 

 

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

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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.


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

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“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.

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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.



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.

Productivityist Podcast | Wayne Baker

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“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.

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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


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…”

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

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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?



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

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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.