Power Play 06: Help Doesn’t Come for Free
- Edward Graves
- May 25
- 3 min read
Power Play 06: Help Doesn’t Come for Free
When Asking for Help, Appeal to Self-Interest
Metaphorical Truth: Nobody helps for nothing. Even kindness has a currency. Learn the exchange rate.
Opening Story: The Unpaid Favor
People love to say: “Let me know how I can help.”
But ask for too much—and you’ll find out exactly how much they were never offering.
In the power game, help is rarely unconditional. Favors come with interest. Support comes with strings. Even encouragement comes with expectations.
Whether it’s funding, endorsement deals, job access, or mentorship—the game isn’t built on gratitude.It’s built on incentive.
Smart players don’t just ask for help.They offer alignment.
In the Boardroom – Executive Insight
The Problem: You’ve got the vision. You need capital, board buy-in, or media traction. But when you pitch from desperation or merit alone, the doors stay shut.
From Experience: I’ve made the mistake of assuming the mission alone was enough. I had the numbers. The outcomes. But they weren’t asking what I’d done. They were silently asking: what’s in it for me?
The Strategy: Don’t just present your value—present their benefit. Power players respond to positioning, not pleading.
The Power Play: Always answer this: How does helping me help them? If you can’t answer that, don’t make the ask.
In the Office – Athletic Directors
The Problem: You’re pitching new facilities, staff raises, or program expansion. But admin isn’t moving. Your appeal to fairness or success isn’t landing.
Seen It Before: I’ve watched ADs with national wins get shut down while underperforming programs got funding—because their proposals made the right people look good, politically or publicly.
The Strategy: Frame your need as a win for someone else’s agenda. Tie it to enrollment, media reach, board optics.
The Power Play:Don’t just ask for what your program deserves. Show them what their brand gets when you succeed.
On the Sideline – Coaches
The Problem: You need schedule flexibility, gear support, or a budget bump. But every time you ask, you get hit with: “We’re stretched right now.”
From Experience: I’ve coached under shoestring conditions while others coasted with less impact. The difference? They knew how to pitch their asks as part of the school’s overall brand image.
The Strategy: Learn who controls the resources and how they define value. Then tailor your request in their language—not yours.
The Power Play: You’re not asking for help—you’re offering a partnership. Speak like it.
On the Field – Athletes
The Problem: You want exposure, sponsorship, better training. But simply being talented isn’t enough. People support what reflects well on them—or returns something.
Case Study – Angel Reese: When she leaned into her image and her audience, her NIL value exploded. Why? Because brands saw the benefit for them. Her confidence was magnetic, but her market impact was measurable.
The Strategy: Don’t just post your progress—post what makes you valuable to others. You’re not just an athlete. You’re a brand partner waiting to be aligned.
The Power Play:If your name holds weight, make sure it lifts others too. That’s how you earn help and stay in control of it.
For Those Who Move Different
We were raised to be grateful. To wait our turn. To prove we’re worth it.
But here’s the truth:
Everyone wants to help when there’s nothing they can actually do. It’s safe. Performative. Cost-free. They’ll repost your win. They’ll cheer from the sidelines.But when you need a co-sign, a platform, a real ask? Silence.
So stop hoping for help from the wrong people.
Ask, but ask strategically.Frame the win for them—even if you’re the one doing the lifting.Because in this game, nobody helps for nothing.
Call to Reflection
• Who has helped you—and what did they really want?
• Where have you been ignored because you asked without leverage?
• What would change if you framed your ask around their win?
Comments