Rookie Mistakes: Not Asking for Help

January 07, 2025

If nothing else, skip ahead to the 15 Minute Rule!

Asking for help is still something that gives many Production people pause. Isn’t asking for help admitting weakness, that you can’t manage the job you are lucky to have, or a sign that you aren’t willing to work hard? Thinking any of these things is a rookie mistake.

Martha Beck says in her book The Way of Integrity:

In fact, the further I go on the way of integrity, the more I know that I don’t know much about how reality works [...] We’re socialized to think that not knowing is stupid and shameful. But in traditions like Zen, ‘don’t know mind’ refers to a way of thinking that’s free from rigid concepts […] From a place of enlightenment, the mind’s job isn't to shore up beliefs, but to let them go.

- from The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck

I have a few quick things I want to say for this video: first, saying you understand something or will have a task completed on time is you accepting responsibility. If you say you got it and you don’t, you will let people down and you will prove that you are not good for your word.

A blunt way to say this is that your ass is on the line and you are expected to deliver if you say you got it. Your completion of the task (even if you complete said task poorly) or failure to do a task will be on you, because you said you had it under control, and your performance will be measured accordingly.

Second, and calling back to the Martha Beck quote at the start of this video, remember that saying “I don’t know” or “I don’t understand” is completely acceptable and even ideal. As explained in other videos here in A Course in Production, admitting when you don’t know something is strongly encouraged by many leadership and business experts.

Lastly, remember it's okay to ask for help from your PM or Supervisor with prioritizing your tasks. My general rule for anyone in animation, artists or Prod alike, is to keep in mind the 15 minute rule.

The 15 minute rule means taking 15 minutes to try and figure out something on your own, especially if you have been trained on the matter at hand before. This may look like going back through your notes, referring to your team’s tutorials and documentation, double-checking email chains or meeting recordings.

If, after 15 minutes you can’t figure it out, ask for help. Waiting more than 15 minutes to solve something that might be time-sensitive could be too late. The 15 minute rule will show that you honestly tried on your own, while still being mindful that we are all at the mercy of schedules, needs of other departments, and of course, deliveries.

If you are in Production in Animation, you are definitely in a teamwork environment. Remember, we all have the same goal and want to help each other as best we can to make the best shows. An attitude where you don’t ask for help or work as a team player is antithetical to being in our industry, so remember the 15-minute rule and ask for help when you need it.