Reader situation
You carry assumptions about your career, the people you work with and how work should be done. Many were useful when you formed them. Some may no longer fit, because your role, your industry or your circumstances have changed, but you haven’t had reason to check.
Central idea
Assumptions about careers, people and work can outlast the conditions that made them useful. Periodically review one assumption and test whether it still fits your circumstances.
Practical steps
- Choose assumption. Pick one assumption to review. 2. Identify origin. Recall where it came from. 3. Check current context. Consider whether the original conditions still apply. 4. Seek another view. Ask someone with a different perspective. 5. Decide revision. Keep, adjust or let go of the assumption.
Worked example
Fictional example
The people and details are invented to illustrate an approach. It reports no outcomes.
Lucia, a project manager, has long assumed that she needs a formal qualification to move into a strategy role. Reviewing the assumption, she remembers it came from a former manager ten years ago, at a company that required certifications. She checks current context: two strategy roles at her current company were filled by people without formal qualifications. She asks a peer in strategy, who says experience leading cross-functional projects matters more. Lucia adjusts her assumption: a qualification may help, but it isn’t a requirement, and she decides to talk to the strategy team about her experience first.
Companion tool: Assumption review checklist
Review one assumption at a time. Repeat every few months.
1. Choose assumption
Areas to consider:
The assumption: ________
2. Identify origin
- Where did this assumption come from? ________
- When did I form it? ________
3. Check current context
4. Seek another view
- Who might see this differently? ________
- What they said: ________
5. Decide revision
Next assumption to review, and when: ________
Boundaries
- Some assumptions reflect real constraints. Reviewing them is about accuracy, not wishful thinking.
- Choose a peer you trust when examining assumptions about yourself or your career.
- Avoid using a review to confirm what you already believe. Look honestly for evidence on both sides.
Member action
Bring one outdated assumption to a trusted peer for examination. Explain where the assumption came from, so they can see whether its original conditions still apply.
Discussion prompt
What’s an assumption about your career that turned out to be outdated?
