In a training session with middle leaders this week, we were focusing on leading others, one middle leader remind me of how we shouldn’t make assumptions. This reminded me of Don Miguel Ruiz book The Four Agreements.
One of the agreements, ‘Don’t make assumptions’, reminds us to communicate clearly to avoid misunderstandings. How many time do you hear ‘Well I told them…’ or ‘I gave them the document…’. Too often we make the assumption that the receiver of information will interpret as we intended it. We are all different, we all have our own internal representation system that deletes, distorts or generalises the information we receive.
So we shouldn’t assume anything. Imagine the time we can save by not having to go over or repeat things if we hadn’t made the assumption in the first place.
We can also flip by asking questions to find out or clarify what we are being asked to do with the information we receive.
So in a nutshell, don’t make assumptions.
