The whole way we view our world and our work is based on assumptions.

We have assumptions over how people will behave, what's going on in our markets, what will motivate our teams, and so on.

What that does...

...is to create a kind of operating envelope where our assumptions set parameters and define the boundaries of what we believe is possible.  

Assumptions can be very comforting, but also very dangerous.

In an era of...

...accelerating change we can't afford the luxury of assuming things will carry on as they are.  Did the hotel industry expect AirBNB, or the taxi business expect Uber and the plethora of lift sharing apps now becoming available?

The only safe assumption we can make is that things will change.

ACTION POINT

Where do you feel most secure?

What are the assumptions you're making that ​​​​​​​cause you to feel that way?

Now imagine...

...you woke up tomorrow and those assumptions no longer held true.  

Consider how you could adapt: 

• What would you do differently?
• Who would you need to connect with?
• What new resources would you need?

Are there any ideas there that you could act on to start the future-proofing process, or to simply do things better right now?  Or maybe there are things you could stop doing and save yourself valuable time and resource.

When you start...

...regularly questioning the assumptions you're making you'll open up a whole stream of new ideas and innovation.

And, as always, you may like to get your team involved in this discussion...