Better Assumptions

Work faster. Work harder. Work longer.

When we operate from the same perspective we always have, and try to produce better results, those are typically the options left: work more hours, squeeze more out of less.

This leads to a lot of have-to's:

• "I have to get ready for this meeting"
• "I have to do it all myself"
• "I have to play the game"

But what if we're wrong? 

What if we don't actually need that meeting?

What if my team members are more capable than I realized?

What if my boss is actually yearning to be challenged, in the right way?

"Work smarter" is repeated a lot, but not defined very often.  I think a critical part of it is to recognize and challenge our underlying assumptions. Because that's where the biggest breakthroughs and innovations usually come from.

What assumptions are you making at the moment?  How accurate are they?