Asking Instead of Assuming

An “insane” person is someone who does the same things repeatedly and expects different results. It was with that in mind that I encouraged you to start the year on a different note. And to help you do that, I shared with you the first two steps in my One-a-month approach to make 2021 a meaningful year.

For January, I asked you to be judicious and for February, I encouraged you to ask for feedback. Today, I’ll be sharing with you the steps for March and April.

March: Be a Mentor. One of the fastest ways to grow into the person you want to become is by learning from a mentor—some who has traveled the road you’re now traveling. However, not everyone with experience has what it takes to be an effective mentor. Therefore, you must be judicious in your selection. And because mentoring is time consuming, you too must be opened to learning and growing from a mentor.

April: Ask—Don’t Assume: We’ve become lazy. And that laziness causes us to take the easy route—we make assumptions instead of asking well thought out questions. That approach often leaves us holding the blade—not the handle. In short, assumptions lead to faulty conclusions. And faulty conclusions can spark disastrous conclusions.

It is, therefore, in your best interest to take the prudent approach and ask the questions that will uncover the answers you need to unravel the issues before you. Yes, asking well thought-out questions warrant some effort on your part. But investing the time and effort in research at the front-end increases the odds of you finding the answers you need. Therefore, you’ve more to win than lose to ask—don’t assume.