Recently, a colleague and I were discussing whether it’s ever helpful to make assumptions. My answer? I believe there are definitely times when assumptions serve us well. The problems come in when we can’t tell whether we’re even making assumptions, and how to distinguish between those that benefit us and those that are harming us.

Perhaps on some level our tendency to make assumptions is hard-wired into our brains as a survival mechanism. Consider the following scenarios:

• Dealing with a crisis where immediate action needs to occur in order to avoid loss of life or major damage. Think about rescuing someone from a burning building. We need to assume we’ll find a way to get ourselves and the other person safely out of the situation.
• Participating in everyday life functions, such as driving a car. We might never leave our homes if we didn’t assume that other drivers will cooperate with traffic laws and that we’ll arrive safely at our destination.
• Dealing with similar situations. Our own and others’ previous experiences teach us what to look for in new situations. In these cases, our assumptions can help us make faster decisions and avoid potential danger.

We can’t afford to take the time to question everything, either personally or in business. After all, if we don’t make assumptions nothing will ever get done. The important thing is to recognize which aspects of a situation are facts based upon concrete evidence, and to take responsibility and accountability for identifying the assumptions we create in our minds based upon our own values and beliefs. That way we can make smarter choices and build in checkpoints and contingencies for whatever comes our way.

In my next post, I’ll discuss warning signs to determine whether our assumptions are serving us, or whether we’re serving our assumptions

Lately, we’ve been hearing quite a bit about difficult deals, from Microsoft-Yahoo to Delta – Northwest Airlines.  What do CEOs and presidents need to know to avoid the most common pitfalls and lead a successful merger or acquisition? 
 
I’m delighted to tell you that on Thursday, March 20, 2008 from 3:00-4:00pm Eastern, I’ll be interviewing William J. Kroll, CEO and Chairman of Matheson-Trigas, a leading supplier of industrial gases and equipment, as part of the “AeA Leading for Success” series.  We’ll discuss:
 

• Leadership lessons from Bill’s experiences with M&A
• Keys to picking the right target
• Guidelines for valuing a company
• How to minimize culture clashes and maximize productivity
• Tips for integrating operations and rewards to improve performance
• Ways to retain key talent

William J. Kroll, was named one of the top 25 entrepreneurs in NJ. He has 30+ years of executive management experience in almost every area of business, including forming joint ventures and international acquisitions.   AeA is a trade association dedicated to “Advancing the Business of Technology.” 
 
This is a program exclusively for CEOs and company presidents. Can’t make the “live” session?  A link will be provided to the recorded session.  For more information, including fees, view the full program description. 

My husband, Scott, and I were getting into our car parked in the garage at Newark Airport.  It was 10:00pm.  We had just completed a full day of travel back from San Francisco, and were eager to get home after a week away. However as we got into our car, Scott realized that he had lost his driver’s license somewhere between the Air Train terminal at Newark Airport’s Terminal C and the Long Term Parking Garage.  After retracing his steps with no success, Scott resigned himself to the prospect of the unpleasant and time-consuming task of replacing his license.
 
This is where the story becomes interesting.  We had just pulled away from the toll booth after paying our parking fee and were getting ready to exit the airport grounds, when I noticed a shadowy figure of a man in the darkness running toward our car.  He was frantically waving his arms, and in one hand he had a small white square — Scott’s driver’s license!

Huffing and puffing, the man explained he was an airport worker and had noticed that Scott dropped his license back in the Air Train terminal.  He immediately picked it up and had been trying to catch up with us for the past 20 minutes.  With a smile, he gave Scott the license and turned to leave.  Of course we called him back to thank him, and insisted on giving him a cash reward as a more tangible expression of appreciation. He gracefully accepted our gesture; but before we could get his name to express appreciation to his management, he vanished just as quickly as he had appeared. 
 
During the drive home, Scott and I reflected on what had just occurred.  First, there was the miracle of encountering a stranger who really cared, with no thought of getting a reward other than knowing that he was doing something good for someone else.  But in addition to that, it was amazing that he was able to catch up with us at the last moment before we left the airport. 
 
This wasn’t an earth-shattering event, but it was an ordinary miracle created by an extraordinary person. Having been inspired by this man, I know I’ll be looking for ways to create an ordinary miracle for someone else.  Now if we all did that, imagine what would happen….
 
Have you experienced your own “ordinary miracle?”  I invite you to share your story with us.