Sunday morning I saw in my twitter stream a statement by Andrea DeBell @brite2briter “Assumptions are ammunition for our untrained minds.” It reminded me of how many times individual or organizational assumptions create limits to progress and costly conflicts. Assumptions are like bullets that can destroy and kill.
“If my boss is being nice to me today, he must want something. I better be careful.”
“Investors don't care what our values are.”
“I’m too old to learn that new system.”
“Beware, all people from . . . are. . .”
“I can't afford to invest in new learning.”
“You must think I’m an idiot? What do you think YOU are?”
“You must be trying to get my job.”
“This organization is going to fail if we keep talking about innovation.”
I’m sure you can think of many other assumptions that stream through our minds.
Friend or foe?
Today I want you to think about assumptions. The assumptions you make and the ones your organization some times acts upon. After all, assumptions just ARE. That is not the problem. The problem is that they can become ammunition if they are not valid. That is why we need to check them out!
As Mary Jo wrote not long ago on her blog, What Assumptions Are You Making? “assumptions you make about others are one of the biggest reasons for any misunderstandings and unhealthy conflicts that you can have.”
Our assumptions play a large part in how we view the world and how we behave towards others, yet they are often invisible to us. They are so habituated that we "know" the world agrees they are "the truth."
Learning to identify our assumptions allows us to see the world in a new light. They can be your friend. By identifying and sharing our assumptions we have the opportunity to build common ground and consensus. We learn to respect others and their contributions, even when they may contradict things we have long held to be true.
Don’t let assumptions become ammunition. They can be your friend if you use them as information that can bring new light. If you want to be able to learn anything new, check your assumptions!
What do you think?
What assumptions do you regularly make? Are you checking your assumptions or reacting based on them? Could some of the conflicts your are dealing with dissolve if people in your organization checked their assumptions before reacting negatively? Share your thoughts with us.
Photo: Teknorat
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