Timothy Johnson wrote a great post over on Carpe Factum the other day. Lurking in the Shadows is about the art of "ramping up quickly in a new (and sometimes hostile) environment." The whole post is fascinating, but my very favorite bit is about the assumptions we make that keep us from seeing (or hearing) the truth that's right in front of us.

In Timothy's example, his business students were having a hard time seeing the facts in crime scene photos. Looking at the photos, the students kept wanting to interpret the information immediately. In short, we tend to leap to assumptions about what we see and hear rather than taking the time first to gather all the pertinent information.

And once we make an assumption, we tend to stick to it.

I laughed out loud when I read his post because the timing couldn't have been better. I shared with him my favorite recent assumption story, and he insisted that I post it here. So here goes nothing...

Just the other day, I'm talking to HR about the trade show I was supposed to be attending this week (which is another story altogether) when the HR rep tells me I might have to drive.

"Drive? Really? How far is it?" I ask.

"6 hours," she says.

"6 hours?" I say, my tone rising.

"I know," she says, "I'd be upset too."

"No, no!" I reply. "I'm not upset at all! I was just surprised because I thought it was farther than that. I'd love to drive if it's that close!"

"Well, I'll try to get you a flight," she says. "You shouldn't have to drive that far."

"No, honestly. Thank you, but I'd really much rather drive."

"I'll call the regional director and see what I can do for you," she says.

"No, please," I say, getting desperate. "You misunderstood me. You heard my tone and you thought I was upset, but it was just the opposite. It was surprise at how close it actually is. 6 hours is nothing. I'd much rather drive than fly if it's that close. Please don't get me a ticket."

"Ok," she says, "if you're sure."

"I'm sure. Thanks. It will be nice to have my car there, and I'll really enjoy the trip."

Half an hour later she calls again. "Good news!" she says. "I got you a ticket!"

"What???" I exclaim. "No, I didn't want a ticket! I wanted to drive!"

"Well," she says, "if that's what you wanted, you should have said something."

Like this article? Get the Mind Unbound feed... or sign up for the free newsletter to stay up to date on all Mind Unbound news & articles.