Things are not always what they seem
Most cock ups don't begin with bad intentions. They begin with assumptions.
Let me tell you a story that illustrates the point so well… It happened on a train from London to Manchester.
A cameraman friend of mine, Gabe, received a call from an old friend of his, Blake, who needed a favour. He was having some issues with his website and development team and wanted to meet to discuss matters more fully.
He'd known Blake since college in London where they both trained in drama, media and movie production. On graduation Gabe landed a job at Granada Studios in Manchester, where he eventually met, married and raised a family.
Whilst Blake, who had always been a fabulously outrageous character, stripping to supplement his college income, went to Los Angeles to make high quality gay movies and eventually became one of the biggest global players in gay porn.
We met in London and Blake lived up to his charming reputation. All web issues were dealt with in record time. While we talked, he handed me a small plastic bag stuffed with six or seven DVDs for Gabe, who was doing some editing work for him. I unzipped the top flap of my already full briefcase and jammed them in.
We finished our coffee, said our farewells and I left in a rush to catch my train home.
Bad traffic and a delayed train made things a real rush-and-crush affair. I made it in time, but the train was packed. Some carriages had been declassified leaving standing room only. I eventually fought my way to my reserved seat, tucked my coat away, shoved my bags under the table and settled down for the two-hour journey.
About thirty minutes later, the guard squeezed his way through the crowded carriage checking tickets.
The Indian gentleman sitting opposite me shuffled sideways, crushing the poor bloke next to him against the window in an effort to create enough room for the guard to lean across the table.
Everyone around the table reached into pockets and bags to retrieve their tickets.
Unfortunately, mine was buried in my briefcase.
I yanked the bag onto my lap and unzipped the top compartment.
At that exact moment, a plastic bag began falling towards the table.
Time slowed.
All eyes followed it down.
My brain silently screamed:
"Ohhh nooooo..."
The hard plastic cases hit the table with the subtlety of dropped crockery.
The contents bounced, scattered, and filled the table..
The guard stopped.
The passengers stopped.
People standing in the aisle stopped… and stared.
For a brief moment, it felt as though we'd entered some strange slow-motion time warp.
There, laid out in glorious technicolour across the table, was an impressive collection of hardcore gay porn DVDs.
Huge oiled muscle men.
Cowboys.
Police officers.
Construction workers.
The titles were equally eye-catching.
“Open Manholes - and Cock Fight.”
As everybody stared in total disbelief, I heard myself mutter the immortal words:
"They're not mine... they're for a friend."
Everybody around that table thought they knew exactly what was going on.
They didn’t.
The funny thing is, most of the expensive mistakes I've seen in business started exactly the same way.
Somebody thought they knew what was going on.
They didn't.
A board makes an assumption.
A founder makes an assumption.
A husband, wife, parent or colleague makes an assumption.
And before long, people are making decisions based on a story they've created rather than the facts in front of them.
That's why one of the first questions I ask in a Witness session is:
"What assumptions are we making?"
Because the assumptions we make and the stories we invent are often far more dangerous than the facts.