Have You Asked Lately?

I have recently made a discovery over the last few years that I would like to share with you. It is something that is so common, people tend not to do it. Something that can make situations so much easier, yet it goes without saying. And something that can lead to huge successes, if people would simply just do this one thing.

Have You Asked Lately?

The power of asking a simple, direct question to the person with whom you are speaking with. It seems that so many times, people will try and judge a situation by things that a person did not say, did not do, etc. Instead of just directly asking for that interview, for the opportunity to dicuss a joint venture, to open up the dialogue of  pay raise, people tend to try to get the answers to those simple, direct questions without ever asking them. Does that make a lot of sense?

It sure doesn’t to me. Just like the power of networking, the power of asking can be overwhelming. I’ll share with you a quick story of how I came to be a friend and a colleague of the President of the university I attended.

I had been working on my senior thesis and was looking for ways to build my case by bringing in people who would back my position, advise me and encourage me to keep going, even when it felt like everyone was against me. I had recently come across an article written by the president of the university that was complimentary to my thesis. I was excited by the article and thought about seeing if I could talk to him one on one. Though I was a little hesitant, I made my way to the building, took the elevator up to the fourth floor and walked up to the receptionist.

“Hi, I’d like to speak with the President regarding my senior thesis” I said.

The receptionist gave me a funny look and asked, “Is something wrong? Do you have dispute with a professor?”

I nervously laughed, “No, no, you see, the president wrote an article featued in the state magazine and it is complimentary to what my senior thesis happens to be about. I would just like to share my thesis with him and maybe get his input.”

Still confused, the receptionist called for the president’s personal secratary. I was greeted and led back to her office where we sat down. She looked at me and said, “OK Ben, what is this really about?” I explained again why I was seeking to speak with the president, simply to share my thesis with him and ask for his input and support. She then instructed me that the best way to get in touch with him was for me to go home and write up exactly what I told her, email it to her, and she would forward it on the president who was currently out of town. She said that I would be lucky to maybe get ten minutes to speak with him.

The next day I received an email from her telling me that the president had read my letter and was very interested in my thesis and had scheduled thirty minutes to meet with me. I prepared for my talk with the president, creating a quick slideshow on my laptop, dressed my best and was on my way.

While it was somewhat intimidating to speak with a man who had power over the entire university, it was also humbling that he was interested in my work. We ended up chatting, getting to know each other and learning each other’s backgrounds. I mentioned that I was also working with an entrepreneurial professor and it turns out that he was friends with that professor as well. Small world. In fact, that meeting went so well, I met with him two more times throughout the academic year, and even had him scheduled to attend my final presentation. To this day, I still keep in contact with him, letting him know what I am up to, and continuing to learn from his advice.

How This All Started

This whole evolution of being friends with a university president happened because I was proactive in wanting to speak with him. I went right to the source, the secretary, and directly asked to speak with the president regarding my senior thesis. It is amazing what can happen if you just ask.

Have you had moments like the story I shared above? Have you been able to network with people who you felt were out of your league? Share them below, let’s start a dialogue. It is easier than many people think- you never know what could happen if you just ask!