It is amazing to me how difficult it can be for people to ask for something. Maybe it’s a politeness thing, a fear thing, or a shyness thing, but no matter what, I find that people are often paralyzed or unaware of just how much someone can get by asking. Be optimistic, shoot for the moon! Like anything, it takes a little forethought, and maybe some internal thought, but if you start the ball rolling by asking….You most likely will be happy with the result.
Recently my wife (full disclosure – I married way above my head because I was unafraid to ask) and I took a little trip that involved an overnight stay at a hotel. I know that hotels and airlines are terrific at social media listening, so I jumped on Twitter and asked my friends at Marriott for an upgrade. Over a series of Direct Messages I explained that my wife and I don’t get away much without the kids and that I’d hoped to make it a special stay. WOW! Marriott really bent over backwards to do just that. We were upgraded to a corner suite, we received complimentary champagne, chocolate dipped strawberries, meals, a note from the manager and much more. Why?!?!….Just because I asked.
This morning I read this post about a gentleman named Lee who sent off letters of praise to some companies he patronizes. What he got in response was nothing short of incredible. Moral of the story: Companies and people love to share what they do….All someone needs to do is ASK!
Same goes for your career. Don’t like the color of your desk? How about a spot closer to a window? Want that promotion? Just ask. How about a raise? You can only start by asking. That said, there are certain keys to keep in mind, the biggest one being that people need to be careful about making “No” mean more than it does. This post from Forbes.com has some very sage advice on getting what you want from asking for something. It also discusses the notion of being direct so as not to dilute your question by worming around a subject, but I’m going to cover that in a future post.
So, I’m going to conclude this little beauty by practicing what I preach. I’d like to have more people see and engage with these silly little thoughts in my head. What I’m going to ask is that you send me request to connect on one of my social media channels (links are on the site) and continue the fun. I’d like to see just how far I can get this post to go, simply by asking. What are you going to ask for today?
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