Assuming positive intent

What would happen if you assumed positive intent every time?

It’s a remarkably simple and, in theory, easy-to-execute concept – a mindset that any of us could adopt immediately to massively impact our productivity, creativity, and personal growth as well as to the quality of our relationships in the workplace. But it turns out, it’s counterintuitive to the way we normally operate in a business context.

I am 100% guilty of doing the very opposite. Most of us are, often without realizing it! It’s far too easy to assume that constructive feedback is intended to point out our weaknesses vs. help us grow, that debate is intended to prove us wrong vs. generate a better solution, that someone is trying to sell us something we don’t need vs. offering a solution that can add value and unlock a new opportunity. The list goes on and on.

If you want to experiment with this concept, try over the next few days to approach every single challenging business situation assuming positive intent from the other person(s) involved.  Where does the conversation go when you start with an open mind, curiosity and an unwavering belief that their actions are driven by genuinely positive intentions? And even if their intentions are in fact not entirely pure (at least to start), how might your energy change the dynamic of the interaction?

If you notice a difference, as I certainly did when I tried this out, imagine adopting this mindset more permanently. What might be different about our experience and relationships at work? What could we do with the energy no longer spent storytelling, becoming defensive or resisting? And why can it be so easy to revert to a more defensive stance when we don't consciously focus on this?