Plagued by Assumptions and Biases?

Challenging long-held assumptions and biases is never easy. But you don’t have a choice, if you expect to remain adaptive, resilient, flexible and agile in today’s changing, often chaotic, world. Most company failures stem from an inability to look at the world differently or to see new opportunities and threats early. Questioning your assumptions and biases daily is essential, even when it makes you look uncertain. Being uncertain, yet responsive to change, is better than being certain, yet unresponsive, to change. Consider Microsoft’s approach to assumptions and biases.

Microsoft’s “nothing is impossible” attitude fuels a constant challenge of assumptions and biases on a daily basis. Think about the following statement from Chairman Bill Gates: “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” You can’t embrace such a belief without constantly questioning everything you think, everything you feel, and everything you do. Microsoft’s basic tenets require the questioning of all assumptions and biases, no matter where they reside. For example, the tenet of enabling people to do new things encourages “broadening choices for customers by identifying new areas of business, incubating new products, integrating new customer scenarios into existing businesses, exploring acquisition of key talent and experience, and integrating more deeply with new and existing partners.” Microsoft’s passion for using technology to “learn faster, achieve more, simplify your life, and have more fun” depends on never assuming the same old positions and points of view, or holding on to the same old opinions and biases.

What is the best thing that ever happened to you because you challenged your assumptions or biases? What is the worse thing that ever happened to you because you failed to challenge assumptions and biases? To learn more about taking greater accountability for challenging assumptions and biases in your organization, join our Accountability Community at www.partnersinleadership.com, where you can review actual company experiences and results.

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