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A pragmatic and simple self-help guide written by a true rags-to-riches everyman for everyone looking to improve their life I overcame crime, drugs, and poverty to make millions of dollars in a short period of time. I’m an average guy who learned how to “ask more” to “get more” out of life. The strategies and techniques I outline in this book can help you get just about anything—a better job, a new house, or a great vacation—faster and more consistently if you’re willing to follow my advice.

What hidden skill links successful people in all walks of life? The answer is surprisingly simple: they know how to ask the right questions at the right time. Questions help us break down barriers, discover secrets, solve puzzles, and imagine new ways of doing things. The right question can provide for us not only the answer we need right then but also the ones we’ll need tomorrow. Emmy award–winning journalist and media expert Frank Sesno wants to teach you how to question others in a methodical, intentional way so that you can find the same success that others have found by mastering this simple skill. In Ask More, you will learn: How the Gates Foundation used strategic questions to plan its battle against malaria How turnaround expert Steve Miller uses diagnostic questions to get to the heart of a company's problems How creative questions animated a couple of techie dreamers to brainstorm Uber How journalist Anderson Cooper uses confrontational questions to hold people accountable Throughout Ask More, you’ll explore all different types of inquiries--from questions that cement relationships, to those that will help you plan for the future. By the end, you’ll know what to ask and when, what you should listen for, and what you can expect as the outcome.

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

How many times have you given up on what you really want, simply because you didn't know how to ask for it?From unfulfilling business contracts, to lack of clarity in your relationships, to time-consuming arguments over the little things - you know you're worth more, but how do you raise your value?How often have you wished you could simply know how to get what you really want?Why Not Ask is an engaging, practical guide that helps you take back that power. This book shows you that negotiations cannot only save you time and trouble, but they can also save your life.In her conversational style, Harvard-trained, veteran negotiator, Christine McKay weaves her own stories as well as feedback from her corporate, entrepreneurial, and small-business clients.Why Not Ask offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of negotiation. This engaging book offers readers a straight-forward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting angry, getting taken, or getting rejected.Life is a series of conversations about negotiations you should be prepared for: buying a car, negotiating a salary, buying a home, renegotiating contracts, achieving balance with your partner. Taking emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level, Why Not Ask gives you the tools, techniques, and practical steps to get more of what you want.

FOREWORD BY BRENE BROWN and POSTSCRIPT FROM BRAIN PICKINGS CREATOR MARIA POPOVA Rock star, crowdfunding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world's most successful music Kickstarter. Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn't alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of THE ART OF ASKING. Part manifesto, part revelation, this is the story of an artist struggling with the new rules of exchange in the twenty-first century, both on and off the Internet. THE ART OF ASKING will inspire readers to rethink their own ideas about asking, giving, art, and love.

"Roger Dawson shows you how to become a good negotiator not just in business deals but in day-to-day life. To get what you want, Dawson believes you have to understand and be comfortable with the three stages of every negotiation. You Can Get Anything You Want teaches you those stages: Clarify the objectives -- find out exactly what the other side wants; Get as much information as you can about the other party -- what motivation lies behind his demands? Reach an agreement -- make compromises until a mutually satisfactory conclusion is achieved. Dawson will teach you crucial tactics to ensure that your negotiations are successful: Recognize the value of time so you're not pressured into last-minute decisions. Never jump at the first offer, no matter how good it looks. Know your opponent so you can use his weakness to your advantage. Always negotiate back and forth so the other side feels like a winner. Be prepared to walk away instead of conceding, so you leave the door open for the next round. You Can Get Anything You Want will show you how to recognize and adjust to different personality styles so you can get what you want regardless of the situation" -- Backcover.

Harvard Business School professor and business leader Robert Kaplan presents a process for asking the big questions that will enable you to diagnose problems, change course if necessary, and advance your career.

From the founder of That’s Inappropriate—one of the most popular parenting blogs on the web—comes a hilarious, genuine, and relatable essay collection on the ups and downs of motherhood. Meredith Masony founded That’s Inappropriate in 2014 as an innocent and humorous way to chronicle her chaotic days as a working mom, child wrangler, and busy wife. It soon evolved into a massive, dynamic community of parents—now nearly three million strong—brought together by their shared belief that parenthood and marriage don’t have to be perfect. Now, in Ask Me What’s for Dinner One More Time, Meredith shares her collection of witty essays on the universal frustrations of being a mom in today’s world, presenting her laugh-out-loud perspective on sex, aging, anxiety, friendship, and much more. Perfect for fans of Jenny Lawson, Laura Clery, and Jen Mann, these essays provide laughter, relief, validation, and “a metaphorical hug for all of those moments you spend crying on your bathroom floor, thinking that you are failing at the hardest job on the planet.”