Be
Careful What You ASSUME
If we worked
on the assumption that what is accepted as true
really is true, then there would be little hope
for advance.
–Orville
Wright
Remember
the adage about what happens when you assume? Despite
what you may have been told, the consequences can
be far worse than a poor image! Basic
assumptions can keep you from reaching your full
potential as a leader, manager or sales
professional. Your
assumptions can make the difference between your
success and failure!
Assumption:
"something believed to
be true without proof."
Assumptions are all around us! Although
we are aware of some of them, most of the
assumptions that drive our business and personal
lives sit just below our level of
consciousness.
Initially
designed to simplify life, assumptions enable us
to move quickly, often without thinking. They also
confine the human mind. Looking at
new problems through old, myopic eyes can keep us
from seeing opportunities. Just as
the world is different for those who perceive a
glass as half full versus those who see the same
glass as half empty, our own beliefs affect how we
react and the results we
achieve.
Assumptions
==> Behavior ==>
Results
If
assumptions drive behavior, and behavior drives
results, doesn't it follow that to change results,
we must behave differently? To behave
differently, we must think differently. To think
differently, we must challenge and change our
basic beliefs about what is
true.
Assumptions <==
Behavior <==
Results
Past
Invalid Assumptions
Consider
the results of these assumptions: The world is flat...The
phonograph is not of any commercial value...I
don't need body guards...There is a world market
for about five computers. If
past leaders had not challenged these paradigms,
we would live in a very different world.
Our
world is changing at an increasingly faster pace
and a global economy means competition is more
intense.
What got you where you are will not
necessarily take you where you want to go. Today you
must be skilled at learning, unlearning and
relearning just to stay in the game! The
competitive edge goes to those who quickly and
regularly test and revise what they believe in
order to change the outcome.
Challenge
Your Own Assumptions
The
first step is discovery. Before you
can begin to address a problem, you must become
conscious of your assumptions. Any of the
following beliefs could negatively affect your own
results:
Based
on what you want to achieve, which of your own
beliefs has the greatest influence on your
behavior?
Challenge that assumption. What facts
truly support this belief? Test it
for logic and reality. Based on
your findings create and test a new
assumption.
Where
the Rubber Meets the
Road
Although
understanding is the first step, knowledge without
application is wasted effort.
Applying this insight to create new and
better ways of thinking and behaving will make
this process pay off. The next
step is to consciously determine what new
assumption will drive toward better results.
Example: Prospects
must be educated to understand my
business/service.
Results: Factual,
one-way conversations. Prospects
who don't buy.
New
Paradigm: I must
understand wants and needs before I can know how
to help.
New
Behavior: Seek first
to understand, then to be understood.
New
Results: Increased
understanding/trust. Prospects who share more
fully and freely. Increased
sales.
When
paradigm shifts like this occur, it is because
someone has broken out of limitations imposed by
existing assumptions. Although
assumptions can be challenged and refuted, it is
more important for them to be revealed. While they
affect our thinking, they are invisible, because
they are below the surface in our
unconscious.
Once they are revealed, we can see them
consciously and deal with them
logically.
Change
Your Results
What
assumptions are keeping you from getting what you
want?
Put your own assumptions to the test. By
yourself or with an accountability partner, look
for areas where you do not like your results. Then
reflect on what assumptions may be driving those
results.
Apply what you've learned in previous tips
to change what you want to change.
by Allison Darling,
ManagementConcepts, Inc., mailto:Allison@mgmtconcepts.biz
We
can help you assess your results, behaviors and
assumptions and help you change what's necessary
to achieve your business goals. Email Results@Mgmtconcepts.biz
to find out
how. 
