← All lodge guides

Brotherhood of Purpose / Robert W. Linn, PM

Contents

Asking for Help - Free starter

Ask for specific help, agree who will do what, and stop carrying work you cannot keep doing.

First step: Name the actual job before you ask someone to take it.

Ask for help that someone can say yes to

You arrange supper, open the building, answer the messages, and stay for cleanup. Start with the job that is wearing you out. You do not need a workshop or a committee to ask for help.

1. Name the job

Include travel, buying supplies, setup, and cleanup. Be honest about the time.

2. Choose what you can do

Say which part you can still handle and which part needs another arrangement.

3. Ask one person privately

Give the place, time, supplies, and an honest choice.

4. Agree the details

Confirm the task and how to reach you. A request is not an assignment until he agrees.

Brother, could you collect the paid food order Thursday at 4:30 and bring it to the lodge by 5? I will send the address and meet you there. Would that fit your day?

Finished for now: he has agreed to a clear job, or you know you need another plan. A no is useful information.

Back to contents

A request that works

Before

We always need volunteers. Somebody ought to help with dinner.

After

I can cook Thursday, but I cannot also shop and clean up. Could you wash the serving pans from 7:30 to 8? I will show you where everything goes.

David agrees to the pans. Rob confirms that another Brother will handle the kitchen floor. David has accepted one defined job, not every job left in the room.

Confirm it in one message

Thanks, David. Thursday, 7:30-8:00, serving pans only. Gloves and soap are under the sink. I will show you the setup. Text me if your plans change.

If he says no

Thanks for letting me know. I will make another arrangement.

All people and arrangements in worked examples are fictional.

Back to contents

Want the rest of this guide?

The full 9-page guide includes practical examples, fillable worksheets, and phone reading. You can use this free starter on its own.

Digital files only. Payment and delivery through Gumroad. One purchase covers use within your own lodge.