# Ask vs Guess Culture - Jean Hsu Synced: [[2023_11_30]] 6:03 AM Last Highlighted: [[2023_08_18]] Tags: [[advice]] [[Advice]] [[career growth]] [[Career Growth]] [[model]] [[Model]] [[psychology]] [[Psychology]] ![rw-book-cover](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1200,h_600,c_fill,f_jpg,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5d15f5ae-994c-49b5-99a6-5efff02b7eca_1456x816.png) What an astute observation. American corporate world is very much Ask Culture ## Highlights [[2023_08_19]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h85d58xp67d3dhdkj8vdn92w) > Ask culture expectations > • Ask for what you want, even if it seems out of reach or like a big unreasonable request > • Take care of your own needs, and others will take care of theirs > • It’s fine to make requests that people will probably say no to > • People say yes to requests that you truly feel good about, say no to ones they don’t > **Guess culture expectations** > • Only ask for something if you’re already pretty sure the other person will say yes > • Read an abundance of indirect contextual cues to determine if your request is reasonable to make > • It’s rude to put someone in a position where they have to say no to you > • If the appropriate feelers and context are set, you will never have to make your request at all. [[2023_08_19]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h85d9pw84vzpbga2qj7epea6) > At a high level, western corporate work operates almost entirely in ask culture. But people working at these companies often operate in or were raised in guess culture, which as you might expect, is ripe for feeling misunderstood and frustrated. [[2023_08_19]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h85d9yzgtm875p6m5gzrjfax) > Being guess-culture in an ask-culture work environment looks like hoping someone will tap you to become a manager because you’re clearly the best person for the job. [[2023_08_19]] [View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01h85dak0r9n1vywyy1aq842w7) > Ask for help on something you’re feeling stuck on. Guess-culture people will worry that they’re interrupting someone, or someone will be annoyed if they’re in the middle of something. If it feels more comfortable, you could say, “Let me know when is good for a half-hour working session today or tomorrow.”