Assume Good Intent

“For scholarly work, you want to question even if there is no doubt. For personal relationship, you want to trust even if you have doubts.” (做学问要在不疑处有疑，做人要在有疑处不疑). This is a rough translation of a famous quote from Mr Hu Shi, Chinese scholar and the president of Beijing University during 1946-48. There is a similar phase in English which is being mentioned often as a code of conduct in the business world, “assuming good intent”.?

The concept of assuming good intent is not new. It simply means that you opt to give people the benefit of the doubt, rather than assuming that they are out to get you. When people take advantage of us in some way, rather than being mad, getting even or stewing in our pain, One could always assume that they are simply trying to protect themselves or struggling with their own issues, and doing the best they can. If someone sends a seemingly rude email, we could?assume that they were in a hurry to send the email and didn't realize the negative tone. Email readers often read into messages negativity the sender didn’t intend, or they exaggerate even a hint of negativity, especially in the global working environment that many need to communicate outside of their native languages.

“Assuming good intent” means no matter what another person says or does, rather than immediately judging them, we should instead assume positive intent. We assume that they meant well or were doing their best. Most of the time,?nothing good comes out of a negative response especially when that's coupled with an equally rude reaction.

We should recognize that “assume good intent” is based on an assumption. Unless the assumption is confirmed or validated, there would always be a sense of question in the air. For this approach to work effectively, one should take the next step to remove the assumption from the equation altogether.

For example, if you encounter some of the scenarios mentioned above, the logical approach might be to take the courage and approach the other party for a frank conversation. It is very likely that the other party may or may not have realized that his or her action had caused your discomfort or pain. An open conversation not only would remove the assumption in your mind, but also help you establish a more trusting relationship with your colleague.?

In the unlikely event that someone was indeed with malicious intent, you do need to speak up and challenge the bias. However, do not let the action of others affect how you behave or live as a person, do not let others define who you are, do not allow the negative energy of others to destroy your inner peace. It takes courage to transcend emotions, while simultaneously voicing disagreement and dissent. Challenge, confront, and fight. More importantly, stay positive in face of negativity and try to bring change with actions.

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