
Best Of | Why Strong Teams Ask for Help
From Thriving Leaders Podcast by Claire Gray
September 7, 2026 · 8 min
About this episode
Leo Bottary discusses the importance of asking for help in strong teams and how it relates to psychological safety and feedback.
Why do capable people find it so difficult to ask for help? Leo Bottary argues that strong teams treat asking for help as an act of resourcefulness—not an admission of weakness. In this Best Of episode of the Thriving Leaders Podcast, Leo and I explore the connection between psychological safety, feedback and shared accountability. We discuss why team members can struggle to speak up, how a simple change in language can make asking for help feel more inviting, and what happens when feedback becomes everyone’s responsibility. Leo also shares a memorable team exercise that demonstrates how difficult it is to improve when we are effectively working blind. You’ll hear us explore: – Why successful people view asking for help differently – How to turn a request for help into an invitation – Why teams need consistent feedback loops – The role of trusted intent when giving and receiving feedback – How preparation and shared expectations support teams under pressure Leo Bottary is an author, speaker, facilitator and the founder and managing partner of Peernovation. His work explores how peers help one another learn, perform and achieve more together. Watch the full conversation…
People in this episode
Host: Claire Gray
Guest: Leo Bottary
Topics covered
- team dynamics
- psychological safety
- feedback
- accountability
- communication
- leadership
Keywords
- asking for help
- teamwork
- psychological safety
- feedback loops
- shared accountability
- leadership
- communication
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Peernovation
Books & works: Thriving Leaders, Thriving Teams
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