I recently conducted a poll to gather input for the cover of my new book, Train to Lead. The response was overwhelming—not just in the number of respondents to the poll (thank you!) but also in the strength of many of the opinions shared (also, thank you for sharing!).

It was gratifying, and somewhat surprising, to see the interest.

The process leading up to the poll involved weeks of work between myself and my publisher. We had developed, tweaked, and abandoned many versions of the cover. I thought I knew what my audience would respond best to.

But I was wrong. What I believed was the best cover didn’t even make it to the poll. Of the three in the poll, my preferred cover wasn’t in the majority.

What fascinated me was the response people had. By far, most people preferred the first image – shown in this article. Not only did they like it better, but many also had negative reactions to the other two options – which were a stopwatch and a coach’s whistle.

As it turned out, the stopwatch was often associated with deadlines and stress. The coach’s whistle was frequently associated with fouls and getting yelled at.

I never would have guessed. As someone who has spent a lifetime in athletics, I saw stopwatches and whistles as training tools, both having positive, or at least neutral, associations for me.

When what makes sense…doesn’t

If you didn’t see the poll, let me provide context. Train to Lead adapts a training method used to prepare elite athletes and applies it to leadership. I’ve experimented with and perfected this approach over the last ten years. It makes leadership skills easier to understand and learn, and it gives leaders of any level a clear plan for their improvement.

All of that to say, there is a clear athletic tie-in in the book. The imagery associated with athletic training made sense to me. But it mostly only made sense to me.

I assumed what would communicate to others. And I was wrong.

How I See Things Isn’t How Everyone Sees Things

Over my lifetime, I’ve learned that I often see things differently than others. This realization has come with its pros and cons. Generally, I’ve managed to work it to my advantage and, more importantly, to the advantage of others.

I have a well-developed intuition or ‘gut.’ I don’t mean this in a mystical sense. I simply mean that I recognize patterns easily. This ability allows me to often walk into an unfamiliar situation and ‘read’ it quickly, identifying familiar patterns and making informed guesses about what I don’t see. This isn’t something I try to do; it just happens.

My interpretations are usually accurate. I’ve learned to trust this instinct. However, I have also been wildly inaccurate, typically due to missing context or being emotionally invested in a situation.

I’ve learned to pay attention to my gut feelings but be cautious about forming my interpretations. Now, when my ‘spidey senses’ tingle, instead of assuming that I know “why,” I start asking questions.

Failing to do this, and jumping to conclusions, can lead to embarrassment.

Leaders’ Biggest Mistakes Often Come from Assumptions

Most people tend to jump to conclusions. We believe we can ‘see around the corner’ or understand someone else’s motivations or thoughts. This is dangerous.

The truth is most effective leaders have cultivated an ability to ‘see’ well. This is part of what distinguishes a leader from others. At the most basic level, this is referred to and sometimes formalized as an organizational ‘vision.’ But it can also manifest as:

• A ‘Midas touch’ level of business intuition.
• The ability to read the market.
• Wizardry in your profession or craft.
• Skillful sales and customer service.
• Deep emotional intelligence and an ability to understand the needs of your team.
• Encyclopedic knowledge of your field.

But being able to see well in one area doesn’t mean we can see everything. Nor does it mean that we understand what we are seeing.

Here is a list of common areas where I see dangerous assumptions occur:

• Conflict: Almost all conflicts include a breakdown of communication and an embrace of assumptions. Conflicts can often be resolved by clarifying what was meant or wanted.
• Gossip: Gossip is garbage. But it’s interesting garbage. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to allow it to shape our conclusions.
• Roles and Responsibilities: A lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities is one of the most common friction points in organizations. Leaders can make the mistake of assuming people should just know who is responsible for what.
• Expectations around Outcomes: It is also common for leaders to assume others should know what they expect, especially as it relates to goals or outcomes.
• Expectations around Quality: Leaders can become frustrated when their teams don’t automatically understand the desired quality expectations.
• Expectations around Timeliness: It is very common for leaders to make assumptions that others know when projects should be started, how progress should be reported, or when they should be completed.
• Behaviors: Leaders often assume others know expected workplace behaviors. Consider three terms: Good work ethic, Respectful, and Fair. You may feel comfortable defining them, but how widely are your definitions shared?

Don’t assume – confirm.

Jumping to conclusions or making assumptions is a mistake and nearly always creates problems. 

If there is an issue, ask questions about it. Explore your hunches and allow them to be confirmed or debunked but actual data.

When providing direction, don’t assume others will figure it out. It’s the job of the leader to ensure clarity.

This simple tip will dramatically improve your leadership experience. 

I’m glad I asked my readers what they thought about the cover! It brought me in a better direction than what I would have guessed on my own. 

Take good care,

Christian

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