Recently I spoke on the topic of sustainability, and afterwards received an email from a member of the audience. She wrote to tell me that although she agreed with one of my messages--that asking for help is a critical part of sustaining a program--she wasn't convinced people knew how to ask for help very effectively. I'm pretty sure she's right. Asking for help is easier said than done. So what follows are some brief articles and posts on the topic. I pared down a pretty sizeable list to just a few, business-oriented ones that I hope will give you some ideas on how to effectively ask for help:

• How to Ask for Help [eHow]
• How to Ask for Help--Without Looking Stupid [Conversation Starters: Harvard Business]
• Help for Asking for Help [Point Lookout: Chaco Canyon Consulting]
• Why Smart Women Ask for Help [Diversity in the Workplace]

And if you had any doubts about just how universal the benefits of asking for help can be:

• Robots Get Smarter by Asking for Help [NewScientist]