How can we change the default assumptions we make? How do we start creating better ones to build trust and ultimately, better organizations? In the Season 2 finale of Good Company, we’re talking about the impact of assumptions at work. Drew starts us off with a recent experience that opened his eyes to the hidden assumptions quietly shaping our relationships. Next, we explore how having trouble remembering people’s names might point to a different set of skills rather than a lack of care. Our conversation also touches on setting a vision for your workplace and explores the impact of common assumptions on workplace relationships, and what we could train ourselves to think instead. When you stop looking for faults, you find solutions, and this episode will equip you to reframe your thinking to be more compassionate and ultimately, more productive.

Key Points From This Episode:

• The theme covered in this Season 2 finale: changing the default assumptions we make at work. [0:00:00]

• Experiences that led Drew to focus on the pivotal role of assumptions. [0:05:05]

• How Drew’s difficulty remembering names illustrates the problem of making incorrect assumptions. [0:08:16]

• Default assumptions and expectations that hurt our ability to understand each other. [0:14:40]

• How defining your vision for your workplace can reframe what you want in a way people can deliver. [0:21:36]

• The challenge of having management buy into a new way of thinking about assumptions. [0:27:18]

• Unpacking Kathryn Schulz’s three assumptions. [0:30:35]

• Busting the myth that becoming aware of a bad assumption is bad for us. [0:39:02]

• Considering the impact of our assumptions on other people. [0:46:06]

Quotes:

“If there [were] one question that really got to the heart of the current trust level in an organization, it [is], how generous are your collective assumptions?” — Drew Dudley [0:03:11] “If we could live in a world where we just didn’t hold expectations linked to these traditional assumptions, how much better [could we] understand each other, lead each other, and work with each other?” — Drew Dudley [0:13:39]

“When we evaluate people’s motivations with the assumption that they’re doing it for the same reason I would, [we’re] closing off any option that wouldn’t occur to us, and [that’s] dangerous.” — Brett Elmgren [0:14:55]

“We stifle our interesting in an effort not to be annoying.” — Drew Dudley [0:21:48] “You need to build relationships with people so that they make better assumptions of your intentions.” — Brett Elmgren [0:34:01]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Kathy Bates’ Mom’s Reaction To Her Oscar Win

Being Wrong

Strengthsfinder

Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership

Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership