How to Ask for Advice (Without Looking Dumb)

And get the help you actually need

Nik/Unsplash+

Your boss is staring at you, waiting for your recommendation on the website redesign. You presented three solid options, but honestly? You're not sure which one is right. You spent weeks analyzing this alone, and now you realize you should have asked your colleagues for input. Too late.

Sound familiar? You're not alone. Most of us have been taught that successful people are those who help others, not those who need help. We've bought into what Brené Brown calls “the myth that successful people are those who help rather than need, and broken people need rather than help.”

This is backward. The executives who never ask for advice are the ones who actually look incompetent.

Research backs this up: Asking for advice makes you look smarter, not dumber.

But you need to know how to ask.

The Surprising Science of Seeking Help

Everything we think we know about asking for advice is wrong. In our self-help-obsessed culture, seeking guidance feels like admitting defeat. However, Amanda Pal…