Making Assumptions

My grade 10 history teacher proclaimed there is no such thing as an unbiased opinion. News agencies have purported they are your source for the real stories void of any slant or partiality. Marketing companies create campaigns to convince us this is the best product there ever has existed in that category. Leaders espouse open collaboration whilst showing clear favoritism to some employees. We all do it even though we may claim to be unbiased.

So when two people are having a conversation – they begin with their own bias, opinion, and experience. It doesn’t start on even footing. You and I may think we agree on something but there are nuances that we may not discuss. And if we continue to make them along the way, in short order, we could be far apart from each other because we make assumptions we’re on the same proverbial page.

No Expectations

I have a friend who says he goes into every situation with no expectations. It sounds like a great idea. You go in not imagining an outcome and no one gets hurt. Easy peasy. But he does presume to be respected and trusted so can he really have no expectations? Of course not.

In a team environment, making assumptions can be dangerous as well. But it is difficult to keep that in check if you have been working together for a while. There’s a dance and an unspoken language amongst a group that forms over time. So if you do regular check-ins with each other, it can open up an even stronger collaborative situation.

I have opinions, you have biases, and we all have our own view. Instead of making the assumption we see things the same way, if we simply ask each other, we may discover a better way of looking at the world.

But that’s just my opinion.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Progress