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Ask for Advice, Not Permission (2015)

The world is full of gatekeepers who think they have veto rights. Don’t believe them. Pitbull got it right when he said "Ask for money, get advice. Ask for advice, get money twice."

You aren’t inviting them to participate in its success — permission is hardly seen as a value adding behavior — but if it goes wrong you might end up involving them in the failure: “Hey, I asked that team and they said it was fine.” They are going to feel comfortable giving you all their honest feedback knowing the responsibility lies with you, and your ego will remain intact because you invited the criticism on yourself directly. Asking for advice is also a much better way to create advocates for your approach as those who have contributed their ideas will feel some personal ownership over the result much more than if they were just another approval in a long chain.

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