Ask for Help: The Untapped Power Hiding in Plain Sight

1. Drowning in Tools, Starving for Action

We are surrounded by incredible tools. Artificial Intelligence, big data, online learning, social platforms, SEO techniques, and global reach have redefined what’s possible. In theory, we’re the most connected, informed, and empowered generation in history.

And yet—every day—I see people stuck. Frustrated. Isolated. Going through the motions. Brilliant ideas go nowhere. Good people get ignored. Opportunities drift by. And the same tools that promised progress are often the very things burying it.

I’ve seen it from the inside: the military, the public sector, the private sector. Decades of procurement leadership, transformation projects, system overhauls. I’ve worked with global brands, with the NHS, with government agencies—and I’ve built systems that work.

And still, something was missing.

The problem wasn’t just the data or the platforms. The problem was people not knowing how—or where—to ask for help. Or worse: asking, and being ignored.

That’s the hidden crisis of our age. And I believe the biggest opportunity in the world today is deceptively simple:

>>> To ask for help—and be heard on a global scale.

2. What "Help" Really Means—and Why It’s So Powerful

Asking for help is not weakness. It’s not dependency. It’s not failure. It’s the beginning of action.

Help is the spark that turns ambition into progress.

When someone asks for help, what they’re really saying is: “This matters. I can’t do it alone. Will you stand with me?”

That question—when answered—creates something remarkable:

>>> Shared responsibility.

>>> Mutual investment.

>>> Forward motion.

The problem is, we’ve built a culture where asking for help is awkward, hidden, or seen as unprofessional. We reward performative confidence over genuine collaboration. And we’ve put people on platforms designed to broadcast—not engage.

Worse still, when people do ask for help on today’s big platforms—X, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc.—they’re met with:

>>> Silence.

>>> Distraction.

>>> Or a flood of noise with no way to filter real support.

The tools exist. But the infrastructure for action is missing.

3. Tools Without Action: The Illusion of Empowerment

I’m not against technology. Quite the opposite. I’ve built digital procurement systems, implemented P2P frameworks, and rescued failing tech pilots.

But I’ve also seen how easy it is to mistake tools for outcomes.

AI can generate infinite answers. Online courses offer endless knowledge. SEO can drive clicks. But none of these lead to real-world change unless they’re connected to intention, conversation, and execution.

We don’t suffer from a lack of ideas. We suffer from a lack of traction.

And most of the systems we rely on today—corporate, political, digital—are designed to contain and monetise attention, not organise and advance shared ambition.

That’s where so many people give up. They post something meaningful, and it goes nowhere. They ask for support, and nothing happens. Not because their idea was flawed—but because the system wasn’t built for action.

4. The Real Revolution: Public Collaboration at Scale

That’s why I created Ideas-Shared.com—alongside Ivar Ingimarsson, ex-footballer turned changemaker.

We didn’t build a social network. We didn’t build another blog. We built a new kind of system: The Ambition Operating System.

It’s a structured platform where people can:

>>> Share an idea, issue, opportunity, or need.

>>> Find others who care about the same thing.

>>> Collaborate in a transparent, outcome-driven space.

>>> Turn that idea, or challenge into a result.

No algorithms. No ego metrics. No ads. No distractions.

Just people helping people—with a framework that makes it doable.

Imagine what becomes possible when anyone, anywhere, can:

>>> Ask for help to fix a local park.

>>> Launch a social enterprise.

>>> Organise a campaign.

>>> Solve a community problem.

>>> Support someone else’s mission.

And they don’t just post and hope—they post, connect, and deliver.

That’s what we mean by turning ambition into action.

5. Asking for Help is the New Leadership

Here’s something I’ve learned in the Army, in corporate boardrooms, and on the frontlines of public service:

>>> The strongest leaders are the ones who ask for help first.

They don’t posture. They don’t pretend to have all the answers. They invite others in.

That kind of leadership—humble, collaborative, focused—is exactly what our world needs now.

It’s also what organisations need:

>>> Leaders who say: “We need help fixing our procurement system.”

>>> Councils who say: “We need help solving homelessness here.”

>>> Individuals who say: “I’ve got an idea. Will you help me build it?”

The future belongs to those who can organise people around shared intent. And that starts with the courage to ask.

6. What Happens When Help Scales

Now imagine that happening at scale:

>>> 10 people helping one idea become a local reality.

>>> 100 people rallying behind a citizen’s cause.

>>> 1,000 people backing a bold solution for education, or energy, or justice.

We stop being passive consumers of content—and start being co-creators of progress.

That’s what Ideas-Shared makes possible.

Not because it’s clever tech. But because it’s grounded in something real: The belief that the world changes when someone asks for help—and someone else shows up.

7. Conclusion: It Starts With One Question

So here’s my ask:

If you’re sitting on an idea, an issue, or an opportunity—ask for help.

If you’re looking for meaning, connection, or a way to contribute—go help someone else.

And if you believe, like I do, that politics isn’t just for politicians, and change isn’t just for the powerful—then join us.

Because in a world full of tools, the rarest thing is a platform for action.

That’s what we’ve built.
That’s what we’re scaling.

And that’s where the future begins.