Just Assume Good, Man!
…why assuming the best but expecting the worst, might actually accelerate progress.
When my friend, Boris Renski, announced on Facebook that he was going to climb Mount Rainier, my reply to him was “this is not a good starter mountain”. I assumed the worst, that he was just going to wing it, totally unprepared. Since then, I have followed his training. He has stopped smoking, started hiking, training his back, carrying the weight demanded by a Mount Rainier expedition, putting in the hours, gaining the experience.
At this point, I think the only thing stopping Boris would be the weather.
To add insult to injury, Boris is also the one who told me to “Just assume good, man!”.
It was at work. I had been venting my frustration over the lack of results by asking if the people working on a particular task were deliberately sabotaging. Boris’ point was that most people have good intentions. What about the result then? What should I expect? Well, as we shall see, that’s a different matter.
In the time since, I have been noodling on this a lot. It reminded me of another experience, this one with my dad, many years ago. Being a very active outdoorsman, my dad was into windsurfing for a quite a while. I was visiting my parents one summer and asked to borrow his windsurfing gear. I ended up breaking the mast. Naturally, he was unhappy. He told me that “This mast has been fine for 30 years until you broke it!”, to which I quipped “Maybe that’s why?”.
He assumed I had been reckless with the mast. It is more likely that it simply broke from the wear-and-tear over such a long time.
Had he instead assumed that I was of course careful with his equipment (assumed good), while anticipating that it might break (expect worst), he would have reacted differently and, he would have saved himself some frustration.
The idea of always assuming the best while expecting the worst, is applicable everywhere. Yes, in the work environment as well.
What about people with bad intentions?, you say. Isn’t it a little naive to think that everyone means well?, you suggest.
Well, here’s the funny thing: Assuming the best in people, brings out the best in great people. It also brings out the worst in bad people. And, I think that is a damn good thing!
People feel it when you assume that they are doing what they can to be at their best. They will rise to the occasion, wanting to be great, trying to be awesome, working hard, trying even harder and, succeed or fail fast. Unless, of course, they are assholes. And, you know what to do with assholes, so I won’t cover it here.
Why should we then expect the worst? Isn’t that a little negative? Well, true. I am just being melodramatic to grab your attention.
“Expecting the worst” is really about being prepared. It is about making sure you can support, mitigate, course correct, remove blockers, solve problems, tend to the little things. It is about being the best at being the leader you are.
So, Assume Good, Man! And, be ready for the worst. Do both so you can speed up the progress in building that awesome company of yours!
As for me, I am in Norway right now. I am assuming great weather tomorrow but preparing for rain.
It is just easier that way….
