An assumption that got me angry

8028265492?profile=originalRecently I was staying at a hotel for business on the mid-north coast of NSW. At breakfast, I noticed a group of women golfers sitting near me. They seemed like nice people.

The power of the hotel went out. Heading back to my room I stopped at reception to ask the best way to go. Two of the women were a few paces behind me. One said to the other, just loud enough for me to hear, "Use the stairs you dufus! Must be an accountant."

What the woman didn’t know is that I am an engineer and as an engineer I am analytical. She also didn’t know that I have plenty of hotel and office building fire stairs experience. I know that using the fire stairs is not a cut and dried exercise, particularly in an older building that is designed like a rabbit warren. I was simply making sure I went straight to my room. I did not want any failed attempts.

Yes, I got angry. No, I did not say anything. I simply ignored her and went about my business in the pleasant knowledge that the perpetrator must be a big "assumer" and therefore has had, and will continue to have, many unpleasant surprises in her life.

Natural tendencies like Face-ism and experienced-based tendencies like Risk-ism that I have written about recently are perceptions that lead to certain assumptions. In my Persuasive Advisor Program, I like to highlight the risk assumptions pose to people’s decision making. How to identify them and how to break them down. Here is an old blog of mine about breaking down assumptions in a risk workshop.

To finish, as the old saying goes, “Never ass-u-me as you will make an ass out of u and me!”

https://www.bryanwhitefield.com.au/

Votes: 0
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

Bryan is a management consultant operating since 2001, specialising in risk-based decision making and influencing decision makers, born from his more than twenty years of facilitating executive and board workshops.

Bryan’s experience as a risk practitioner includes the design and implementation of risk management programs for more than 150 organisations across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Bryan is the author of Risky Business : How Successful Organisations Embrace Uncertainty; Persuasive Advising : How to Turn Red Tape into Blue Ribbon, and Team Think : Unlock the Power of the Collective Mind [to be published in 2022].

He is licenced by the RMIA as a Certified Chief Risk Officer (CCRO) and is the designer and facilitator of their flagship Enterprise Risk Course since 2019.

<a href="http://www.bryanwhitefield.com">www.bryanwhitefield.com</a>

You need to be a member of Global Risk Community to add comments!

Join Global Risk Community

    About Us

    The GlobalRisk Community is a thriving community of risk managers and associated service providers. Our purpose is to foster business, networking and educational explorations among members. Our goal is to be the worlds premier Risk forum and contribute to better understanding of the complex world of risk.

    Business Partners

    For companies wanting to create a greater visibility for their products and services among their prospects in the Risk market: Send your business partnership request by filling in the form here!

lead