What the movie 'Barbie' taught me about the Assumption Wolf huffing and puffing at small businesses
Now I don't know about you, but when the movie 'Barbie' came out in cinemas last year, my first response was 'You're kidding – well I'm not going to see that!'.
And I didn't, even though I spent hours of my childhood playing with my Barbie and loved it.
So why was this my response?
The simple answer is I ASSUMED it would be bad – and not even after seeing the trailer, no this was based purely upon hearing the title.
Yet on the weekend, I chose to stream it – just to have a look – and after 15 minutes, I realised how wrong I had been.
Now as this pesky Assumption Wolf continues to huff and puff at ourselves, our team and our small businesses, I thought it was worth writing about.
FOCUS: The Assumption Wolf
We all know the saying:
If You ASSUME, You Make An Ass Out Of You And Me
And we all agree with this and understand it.
Yet, it's amazing how often the Assumption Wolf enters our thoughts and daily activities.
To the detriment of ourselves, our team and our small business.
Why?
Because in nearly every occasion, our assumption is incorrect because we:
❌ Acted purely on emotion (ie reacted)
❌ Didn't get all the facts (or sometimes any facts)
❌ Only got one side of the story
❌ Took things personally
❌ Believed one person over another
❌ Weren't ready for constructive feedback
❌ Were in denial about what was really happening
❌ Didn't want to deal with ....
And I could go on.
So why does this happen?
I don't believe we consciously make assumptions because we know in our hearts that it's the wrong thing to do.
I believe the Assumption Wolf gets the better of us when we don't STOP!
Now I know you'll be thinking: 'I don't have time to stop' - something I hear all the time from my coaching clients and audiences.
To which I'll always channel Dr Phil and say 'How's that working for you?', knowing the answer will always be it's not!
Because if only we stopped ... even for a few moments... to think calmly about what's been presented to then determine the next best step to take instead of letting the Assumption Wolf into our mind (and business) and then having to deal with the consequence of these incorrect decisions and reactions.
Have a think about last week and how often the Assumption Wolf huffed and puffed at your.....
- thoughts?
- team?
- customers?
- suppliers?
- small business?
For most of us, unless we're consciously aware of it, it will be at least once a day which is still too much.
So how will you stop reacting to the Assumption Wolf when it sneaks up on you to ensure your next action or decision is made in a measured way, with all available information?
And here's my final thought:
As there's so many Wolves huffing and puffing at small businesses, I hope you'll join me for my
free webinar on 22 May where I'll share why you have to be the Brickman of your small business and the 7 Lego bricks essential to keeping those pesky Wolves at bay.
Now if you want to know the first brick, then please check out my
blog.
And don't forget to check out the movie 'Barbie' – it provides fantastic insights and lessons about running a business and why you have to keep challenging assumptions and changing them for long term sustainability (and it's funny 😊).
Cheers
Tamara
P.S Don't forget to book your FREE Let's Fix it' Session with me to help you solve the biggest problem in your small business.
And if you're saying you don't have 30 minutes to spare, you really need to book in a session with me because I can easily create at least 1 simple strategy to 'get you back' 30 minutes a day.
