Relationships work best when you respond to what the other asks for and ask for what you need.

It might be easier for you to say “let me help you” than to say “I need this from you”. Perhaps one feels generous and strong, and the other selfish and vulnerable. Great relators do both.

Your co-workers, your friends, and your family members need to know you’re human like they are. They need to know how to please you. They need you to participate in a two-way street of give and take with them. And you need the connection and the energy that come from asking for what you need and receiving it.

Clear asking makes things better.