Assumptions often get in the way of innovation and dialogue. Getting beyond assumptions may seem like a huge leap but, incorporating the practice of noticing assumptions can make change easier.
## For a moment imagine everyone on your team being open to noticing their assumptions, further imagine how this all by itself would deepen and accelerate dialogue within your team.
## Below I've curated 10 different posts about challenging your assumptions, each comes at the subject a bit different but taken together they paint a broad stroke about the importance of meeting each moment with an open mind. Reading these may transform how you see the running of your business and how you communicate with your family and friends.
Many business leaders are still thinking “inside the box.” As a result, they’re not truly exploring what their future could look like and they’re not optimizing their opportunities. continue reading
Assumptions are at the root of how we think. The right assumptions can lead to happiness, money, power, love, and joy. The wrong assumptions can turn even the most talented people into quivering, resentful piles of jelly as they find themselves unable to make things work, no matter how much they try. continue reading
How many times have you heard "It has always been done this way. Don't mess with what works." Instead of challenging these assumptions, many of us, like the monkeys, simply keep reproducing what has been done before. It's the easiest thing to do. continue reading
Assess how you respond to having your assumptions challenged. If you continually demonstrate that you, the person in charge, are comfortable being challenged or yielding your idea to a superior one suggested by a colleague or subordinate, everyone who works for you will emulate that behavior. continue reading
Whoops! We've all been there. Maybe it was an awkward dinner with a couple who kept bickering- before you discovered they were actually siblings. Or maybe it was the cab driver who turned out to be a dentist, but after immigrating needed a second job to cover the bills while he went through stacks of ... continue reading
The business world is full of famous examples of organizations sticking with certain assumptions far too long. IBM stayed with a mainframe focus in the 1980s while servers and PCs took over. Blockbuster clung onto retail outlets even though DVD movies could now be ordered online and mailed. continue reading
Every time that we approach a problem, in any walk of life, we bring to bear assumptions that limit our ability to conceive fresh solutions. Innovators are always aware of assumptions and are always happy to confront them. There is a story told about a northern pike, a large carnivorous freshwater fish. continue reading
Corporate success rests on good leadership. Or so we all believed. For at least a generation, we have praised corporate executives as examples of good management. To me, one of the most disturbing aspects of the current recession - aside from financial insecurity - is the failure of leadership, especially corporate leadership. continue reading
Experience can work against you. Companies "overestimate the value of experience," says Mr. Govindarajan. "Experience becomes a liability in times of change."
## "I try to force myself to be nervous," he says. "Whenever I find myself falling back on what I did last time, or think I'm doing well, I try to unsettle myself." Alan Overcontinue reading
Views also become a fetter when they cut off further seeking. Once we are certain we know something, we're closed off from learning more. Indeed, we humans tend to block out new information that contradicts what we think we know. continue reading
Craig Daniels
