Challenging Assumptions

Have you ever been absolutely certain you were right—only to discover you were completely wrong?

The problem with assumptions isn’t that we make them. We all do. The problem begins when we become so certain of what we believe that we stop asking questions that might prove us wrong.

I have been wrong more times than I can count when I was absolutely positive that I was right.

When I was in high school, we played basketball every year against a rival team from a neighboring town. I was pretty competitive, and in my mind the players on the opposing team weren’t simply competitors. They were the enemy.

There was one player in particular whom I had essentially decided was the devil incarnate.

There was only one problem.

I didn’t really know him.

When I finally met him away from the basketball court, I discovered that the person I had created in my mind bore little resemblance to the person standing in front of me. We actually had a lot in common and became friends rather quickly.

I had taken limited information, filled in the gaps myself, and then treated the story I created as fact.

I’ve gotten better at this over the years, but I certainly haven’t mastered it. My wife has a much better memory than I do and can consistently point out the flaws in some of my assumptions. There are times when I am absolutely positive I remember something correctly—until I discover that I had it all messed up.

We all make assumptions.

In fact, we have to.

Leaders rarely have the luxury of possessing 100% of the information before making an important decision. We gather the facts we can, make reasonable assumptions about what we don’t know, and move forward.

That’s not necessarily a weakness. It’s part of decision-making.

The danger arises when we forget which parts were facts and which parts were assumptions.

An assumption that helped us make yesterday’s decision can quietly become today’s unquestioned truth. Once that happens, we begin filtering new information through what we already “know.”

We stop asking questions.

We become blind to other possibilities.

And sometimes we become so focused on proving ourselves right that we miss a better answer—or even a third option we hadn’t considered.

Curiosity may be one of the most overlooked skills in a leader’s toolbox.

Curiosity allows us to say:

“I may be wrong.”

Not because we lack confidence, but because we recognize that our perspective will always be incomplete.

Keeping an open mind doesn’t prevent us from making decisions. It helps us make better ones. And sometimes it helps us preserve relationships with people we might otherwise misunderstand.

Reflection Questions

Where might you be treating an assumption as if it were a fact?

What might you discover if you became curious about something you’re currently certain about?

Challenge
Today, identify one assumption influencing an important decision or relationship.
Instead of trying to prove that assumption right, ask one question that might prove it wrong.
Curiosity doesn’t require us to abandon what we know. It requires us to remain open to what we don’t.