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Ask for advice before you start
A micro exercise to get people's best thinking while it can still change the work
Before you start something, tell one person what you're about to do and ask what they'd suggest.
- 10 minutes
- You and one person
- Before anything new
- Conversation
Why this can work
Advice given before you start can shape the work, while feedback at the end can only grade it. Telling you what they'd do is also easier for people than judging what you did, so they tend to be more candid. And someone who helped shape the work usually wants to see it land.
Read moreHow to ask for advice before you start something
You’ll come away with one or two suggestions you can use before you've sunk time into the wrong approach.
- Pick the piece of work and one person.
Something you're about to start: a proposal, a presentation, a tricky email, a project plan. Pick someone who has done something similar, or who will be on the receiving end.
Tip: The person who'll judge the work is often the most useful one to ask. Their idea of good is the one that counts.
- Say what you're about to do and what it's for.
Two or three sentences: the goal, who it's for, and your rough plan. Keep it rough. A plan that looks finished invites polite nods.
You“I'm about to put together the proposal for the new vendor. The goal is to get finance comfortable with the cost, and my plan is to lead with the savings over two years.” - Ask what they'd suggest.
Ask how they'd approach it, not how you're doing. You want their experience, pointed at your next move.
To: a colleagueI'm about to start on the piece of work, and before I get too far I'd love your advice.
The goal is what it's for, and my rough plan is your plan in a sentence.
If you were doing this, what would you do? Anything you'd steer clear of? Even a line or two would help.
Swap the highlighted parts for your thing. Works on Slack, in email, or said out loud. - Listen, and say thank you.
Ask a follow-up if something's unclear, but don't debate the ideas. You can decide later which ones to use.
Tip: If you catch yourself explaining why something won't work, write it down instead. Once the work is done, tell them which suggestion made it in.
Good times to repeat it: before anything new or high-stakesat the start of each projectwhen you're about to do something for the first time
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
The more finished your plan looks, the less people feel they can suggest changing it. Share it while you'd still genuinely change it.
What might make this harder
Ask about one specific choice rather than the whole thing. Wanting a second view on how to open a proposal reads as judgment, not doubt.
Questions people ask
What is feedforward?
A term the executive coach Marshall Goldsmith popularized for asking people for suggestions about the future instead of feedback on the past. You ask what they'd suggest, listen, and say thank you, without debating the ideas.
Is it better to ask for advice or feedback at work?
Often advice. Asking what someone would suggest tends to get more specific, more candid input than asking them to judge what you did, and it arrives while you can still use it.
How do I ask someone for advice before starting a project?
Say what you're about to do and what it's for, share your rough plan, and ask what they'd do in your place. Keep it short enough to answer in a line or two.
Does asking for advice make you look less capable?
Usually not, when the question is specific. It tends to read as thoughtful, and most people like being asked for their view.
Why this works, and where it comes from
Most feedback arrives too late to use. By the time someone sees your work, you've made the big choices, and the honest answers left are either small or expensive. Advice before you start is worth more than feedback after you finish, because it can still change the work. It's the difference between someone helping you steer and someone grading where you ended up.
It's also easier to give. Criticizing finished work puts the other person in the role of judge, with a small social risk attached. Telling you what they'd do in your place only asks them to share what they know. Most people are happier to do that, and more candid while they do it. They also tend to feel a little ownership afterward. People root for work they helped shape.
This draws on feedforward, an approach the executive coach Marshall Goldsmith popularized: ask for suggestions about the future, listen without defending, and say thank you. Truest's version keeps his rule of not debating the ideas and adds two things. Share your goal and a rough plan, so the advice fits what you're actually trying to do. And ask the person whose idea of good matters most, because their advice up front is a preview of how they'll judge the result.
It isn't the right move when you've already decided and only want a nod. People can usually tell, and it spends their goodwill. You also don't owe anyone the outcome they suggested. Take what fits, tell them what you used, and people start offering their thinking earlier on their own.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Feedback
A few minutes that compound
Do it with Truest and it goes on your permanent record, in a Career Vault your employer doesn’t own.
See how Truest worksAlready a member? Log in- A reminder beforePut it on your calendar and Truest reminds you before it starts.
- Kept with the thing it was aboutSave what comes back in your Vault, next to the work it was about.
- On your recordWhen it's done, it goes on your record with your priorities and progress.
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.