Asking for Help Isn’t Weakness. It’s a Collaboration Skill.
How to Ask for Help at Work more Often—and How to Do It Right
Asking for help is one of the best ways to improve collaboration. Yet most teams avoid it. Not because they don’t need help. They avoid asking for it because asking feels scary, awkward, and risky. Teams don’t fail because members refuse to help. They fail because no one asks.
I was boarding my last flight after a long week of travel. A man kept staring at me. He wanted to say something, but looked uncomfortable. Finally, he leaned in and said, “Sorry to bother you. Can you put my backpack in the overhead bin? I just had spine surgery.” I lifted it right away. “Of course,” I said, “And remind me when we land so I can get it down for you.” As I sat back down, he apologized again—this time for asking.
This short moment mirrors what happens at work every day. People wait, soften the ask, apologize before asking, and feel weak for needing help. They assume they’ll be rejected, become a burden, or even look incompetent. So instead of asking for help, they stay quiet.
No …
