“It can’t be done.” “The client will never buy it.” “This is not the way we do it around here.” “It’ll never work.” These are samples of the hundreds of the assumptions that act as barriers to change and growth. Yet these same assumptions can be turned around to create new opportunities, drive better solutions and smarter decisions.

The process for doing this is called The Assumpt!

The Assumpt! is an innovative and hands on way of thinking for successfully managing assumptions instead of assumptions managing you.

This keynote helps organizations and its people identify the unseen assumptions that stand in the way of success and then provide the tools to turn those dangerous assumptions into Assumpts! that enhance their ability to lead teams, boost sales and launch new product successes.

Assumpt! Learning Outcomes:

Leadership

• Make better decisions.
• Engage and motivate your team to think and act differently.
• Get people to think strategically, not just tactically.
• Break through barriers that stand in the way of your teams’ success.

Innovation/Creativity

• Increase your ability to think differently.
• Shift perspectives and change.
• Re-engineering your thinking to do things differently
• Challenging the assumptions standing in the way of adapting to a new marketplace.

Marketing/Sales

• Enhance creative thinking.
• Turn “No” into “Yes”.
• Challenge industry assumptions to differentiate your business from the competition and drive sales.
• Identify the true decision maker.

Diversity

• Learn how to see things from the other person’s perspective.
• Explore the dangerous assumption of what is clear to you is clear to others.
• Learn how to accept other peoples’ differences to create a more aligned and inclusive workforce.

We are living in an exponentially accelerating world in which the fundamentals of technology, business and society are shifting on a daily basis. To adapt and cope we are becoming increasing dependent on our assumptions to speed the decision making process and to keep things moving. The danger is when we treat those assumptions as truths rather than beliefs.

This keynote is based on Andy’s New York Times notable book. It shows you how to turn those dangerous assumptions into opportunities. This dynamic session offers strategies and tools to pivot and shift perspective in midstream by identifying and challenging dangerous assumptions which act as barriers to change and hinder an organization’s ability to think and act differently.

This one of a kind interactive experience is designed for senior leaders and their teams which are seeking to unlock unproductive behaviors and processes generated by dangerous assumptions such as “That’s the way we do it around here,” “we don’t have the time or resources to change,” or “there’s only one way to do it.”

Through personal stories, executive interviews and business case histories you will discover effective tools to break through the barriers holding your organization back from making the changes that lead to growth.

Countries have diplomats for a good reason; they act as mediators between two different cultures. Yet organizations often lack people who can act as ambassadors during times when different generations, divergent divisions, groups or teams are integrated.

Each group brings their own language and set of assumptions around their way of doing things. This generates tension, decreases productivity, and loss of morale.

The Assumpt! works with teams to identify and challenge the assumptions that stand in the way of successful integrations. Through personal stories, interactive experiences, business case histories and tools, organizations enhance their ability to “think differently,” resolve conflict and accept change.

Designed to help successfully integrated business units that will need to change the way they work, interact and produce.

Despite the rising popularity and recognition that cognitive biases drive irrational behavior, they are integral parts of daily decision-making. Less practical help has been offered to overcoming their adverse impact in inhibiting profit, growth and alignment.

The key is to recognize cognitive bias as assumptions which when identified and managed can be turned into opportunities.

Now by combining the construct of The Assumpt! with insights from work identifying cognitive biases, a new framework for effective management has been developed to enhance an organization’s or individual’s ability to think differently and improve decisions under uncertainty.

Designed for Senior and Thought Leaders looking for ways to helping their teams manage risks and deal in an environment of diversity and uncertainty.