Danger! Assumption 5.23.21

I'm starting to think that one of our greatest hinderances as humans are our assumptions. That is, we think we see the world as it is, but we do not. We see the world as we are in it, and our assumptions about all sorts of things color our lens. Very little is black and white then (except for certain values/morals). If we can realize that we are always walking around with our unstated, undercurrent of assumptions, maybe we could all see the world with a little bit more gray, a bit more forgiveness of others and ourselves, a bit more understanding, a bit more humility, a bit more curiosity.

I bring this up having recently read a few chapters in Schein's Organizational Culture and Leadership (2017). Weeks ago I wrote about Kegan & Lahey's Big Assumptions at the individual level in Immunity to Change. Well, it turns out that organizations have their own Big Assumptions...those big, unstated, beliefs, values and behaviors that brought a group success. And so they are never questioned.

In coaching, I think it'll be important to help individuals work through their own personal assumptions, as well as tease apart the big assumptions that have been bestowed upon them by an organization --often unknowingly. How can coaches help their clients see the organization's culture as a set of assumptions? Help clients lean into the great parts, and push back against the not-so-great parts? Where there is always work to do on our individual selves, there is also an angle to coaching that can address the individual in relation to the organizational culture, and how he/she shows up in that culture.

There is a lot more to explore here!