Presumptive positive

Recently in a meeting with the safety exec from a large company we were met with a common behaviour - they kept confidently saying things that the company did well, “all our staff are really well trained when it comes to responding well when things go wrong.”  All the data that we’d reviewed prior pointed in the opposite direction, and we found out that the training was an online click-through spray and pray method. To compound this, when we asked them about the data, they didn’t know the numbers. We call this the presumptive positive. Often this kind of thing is displayed between managers in an organisation where presenting that you know what you’re doing and that everything is under control is the overriding cultural expectation, regardless of if it’s true or not.

Here are some more examples:

• We behave with integrity

• Innovation is in our DNA

• We will go the extra mile for our clients

• We will never compromise on quality

• We care about our people

These are not bad statements of course; the trouble starts when the behaviour that’s being exhibited is the opposite of the bumper sticker being extolled. For example, if the statement “we care about our people” is combined with things like “can you just get me a report on XYZ by tomorrow” without asking what they were supposed to be doing with that time before readying the stick to throw for them. Others could be talking about not compromising on quality but rushing to submit for deadlines knowing full well that there are quality issues. You get the point.

It’s very easy to miss the connection between the aspirational quotes and actual daily behaviour, because often the way that we subjugate the intent is subtle and “not a big deal.” That’s the sneaky trap.

For more traps, see our book “The Too Busy Trap” available by request.