If you can avoid assumptions at work, then you’ll likely cut down on mistakes and misunderstandings. These cost you valuable time and money and can be committed by some of your top performers.
Sometimes the assumptions happen when we have a small amount of information on a topic and assume that makes us the expert on it. In this episode of our Employee Productivity series, you’ll see this principle illustrated when I discovered my car had a flat tire.
What Productivity Questions Does This Video Answer?
- How to avoid assumptions at work?
- Why do good employees make costly mistakes?
- Why you need to ask for help if you’re not sure about something?
Video Transcript for How to Avoid Assumptions at Work
It’s okay not to be the expert in everything. You can’t know everything, yet some of us think we do and I was reminded of this recently when I had a flat tire. Saw the tire could not be driven on.
I was dressed formally, so I didn’t want to get too dirty. Remembered, hey I am in AAA. I could call the auto club, they could have someone out there to change the tire really quickly. Perfect.
Called and found out the gentleman would be able to be there in just a few minutes. In the meantime, I thought I’ll open up my trunk and uncover the tire. And then I saw the jack.
And in cars, sometimes you get these jacks, they’re in these little pieces that go together a certain way. It’s kind of complicated. And I figured well I’ll put that down on the ground, so I’ll save the person one more step.
Moments later the tow truck arrives, the gentleman gets out. I say, “Hey, there’s my tire right there.”
He says, Thank you very much.”
And I say, “Oh and by the way, the jacks right there.”
And he goes, “Oh that’s okay. I’ve got my own.”
He then reaches into his truck and pulls out an enormous jack, pumps in a couple of times, and my car is up in the air.
At that moment, I realized that I did not know jack about jacks. Because he had a professional grade jack, ten times better than what I had in my trunk.
I had a blind spot when it came to understanding car jacks. Hey, this is okay. In your world though, are you making assumptions about other people‘s jobs because you kind of know a little bit about it but not a lot?
And hen we make a costly mistake, we order something we didn’t need. Hey, listen to the experts and don’t be afraid to ask “What’s the best way to do this” or “What do you think?”
You’ll empower other people and you’ll make sure that you’re getting the right information.
About This Video Series
Ken Okel’s ongoing Employee Productivity video series will make you more effective on the job. Every week, you’ll learn a new, easy to understand, problem solving tip that you can use right away, like communication tips for leaders.
Tired of a productivity problem, like undefined work life boundaries? Let us know and we’ll feature it in an upcoming episode.
About Ken Okel
As a motivational speaker, Ken Okel works with leaders and organizations to boost productivity, performance, and profits. At conferences, conventions, and company meetings, he engages audiences with new ways to maximize their time at work. To see a sample of his keynote and workshop presentations, visit his video page.
