Lately my Instagram algorithm has been serving up the stuff that hits a little too close to home. Reminders not to quit, to take care of myself, and a new trending topic: asking for help from my community. The posts the algorithm feed me are sometimes subtle and alternatively blunt in their suggestion that to actively participate in community, it has to involve give and take. That I have to give *and* ask for help.
That’s the part of the community thing that I haven’t quite mastered yet. As much as I’m always willing to help, it’s a lot harder for me to just say what I need. It has become a running joke at my house. My girlfriend will watch me struggling with something whether it’s opening a jar or carrying too many things. Not to humor herself, but because she knows not to rush to help. I get fussy. I’m an independent human! *said sarcastically*
Instead, she’ll ask: do you want help? It’s intentional, patient, and kind of her to make me practice in this way. For years, I’d insist I’ve got it all as I would slowly drop each item I was precariously balancing. Over the last year or so, I’ve succumbed to the new practice. “Yes, I need help,” I say with an audible huff each time.
Asking For Help At Work? Never.
I don’t hate the help, but I’ve always felt like asking for help made me a burden somehow. I treated help like a pie and I was sure I took too much already. But that’s not actually how asking for help works. It’s not giving up or taking from anyone. It’s giving in to something we all need: community.
That’s the part I, and most helpers, often forget: in order to be in community with others, it has to be mutual. It’s creating a balance to carry it all instead of dropping everything.
Work, inherently, is a community in itself and a place where each of us has to ask for help to create the best version of what we’re working on. However, we’re taught to “do it yourself” and convinced early on that it’s a race to the top. Like the struggle is a core component of success. So instead of asking for help with another one of those dread projects, people stay stuck.
What We Do At Three Ears Media: A 2026 Update
It’s OK to call on someone who can help you with that problem. Success - as an entrepreneur, a corporate leader, or in your job search - is not a march of independence but something we do together. We need each other.
I don’t think people always know which projects I can help with because I don’t use this blog to sell. I use it to help. So I want to take a minute to tell you how I can help if you’re feeling stuck in 2026.
- Speaking. I left a presentation to a local HR chapter last year thinking, “if I could do this every week, I’d be in heaven.” So that’s my primary focus - speaking and writing. I have new presentations about the future of work, AI, recruiting, and more - all tailored to your audience.
- Recruiter Training. I still teach people how to write better job criteria, work with hiring managers, and interview. Turns out, if you can’t do those 3 things? You can’t use AI.
- HR Tech Advisory and Sponsorships. I’m a nerd. I love technology and helping passionate people with good ideas be known in the HR and recruiting industry.
- Consulting and Advisory. Last year I worked with several small teams to advise them on recruiting and HR. I used my 15+ years of research to make recommendations on documents, hiring processes, and challenges with hiring managers. Plus, I even did some of the rewrites for them. If you’re a team that wants ad-hoc recruiting advice from someone who can provide the case study for why and do some of the work for you, make me your first call.
- Coaching. These are 1 hour strategy sessions to figure out what’s working and what’s not - whether you’re looking for a job or feeling stuck at the one you have now. I like taking everything I’ve learned to help people figure out the next best step.
I can’t wait to work with you in 2026. Just promise me one thing even if we don’t? You have to ask for help.
