We’ve made the statement in the past that one shouldn’t assume. However, we also know that there are instances where you can make a pretty safe assumption. For example if you jump out of a plane without a parachute, it is safe to assume you will have a rough landing and you probably wouldn’t make the best skydiving instructor.
In business there are also pretty safe assumptions that can be made. For example… if an employee does a poor job on a phone shop it is safe to assume that this employee does a poor job when serving customers in person. If a coworker gossips to you about another coworker it is safe to assume this coworker is gossiping about you as well. If an employee is consistently late for employee/staff/sales meetings it is a safe assumption that this employee is also late for customer appointments. If an employee comes to a meeting without a note pad and pen it is a safe assumption that this employee is also unprepared when meeting with customers. If a manager is not having daily, one-on-one conversations with his direct reports it is safe to assume he is not effectively managing and turning employees’ talents into performance.
On the other hand, we can make the assumption that an employee may be engaged in her work as well as being customer and career focused if she is abiding by the non-negotiables; if she is utilizing a calendar; if she is actively cross-selling; if she is developing advocates; if she is embracing the culture that leadership is implementing.
As the year is coming to an end and you prepare for 2011, make an honest assessment of what assumptions could be made about you.
