Here’s a quick trick for shifting an assumption that’s been steering how you do business.
Take one process you use to accomplish your work. List the reasons that you approach it that way – all the assumptions you’ve made over time, beliefs about why this way is effective or it’s the way things are done here, and so on. Write until you run out of ideas.
Now set that paper to the side.
On a fresh piece of paper answer the question:
“How would I do this differently if I had only 1/3 the time to accomplish it?”
Let yourself think outside of every one of the assumptions you put on that list. You may find even more are popping up to add to the list as you work with this question.
And after you finish your own first sweep through, pull together a team and ask them for additional ideas.
