Assumptions: the straight poop

I've lived just down the street from Frannie and Dan (not their real names) for six years now. I have to admit, it's the city and city folk just don't interrelate much. Especially if they don't have kids the same age. Nevertheless, we have been to Frannie and Dan's home for a neighborhood party, and they've come to our annual New Year's Open House once or twice. Most of our communication is getting out of our cars after work, rescuing wayward garbage cans, or talking about our dogs.

Frannie and Dan are of another nationality - they're immigrants to Canada, which is no surprise in my city where over 50% of the population are immigrants. I don't pretend to know a lot about their culture. I only try to avoid thinking of them in terms of the typical stereotypes.

But something about them that I discovered last week really surprised me. I had borrowed a roll of aluminum foil from Frannie and had forgotten to return it for about two months. When I walked down there to take it back, I noticed a rather prominent circle of bird poop right in front of their front door. My eyes went up to the light fixture in the middle of their front porch, and sure enough...there was a little bird's nest plain as day. I strained my neck, but couldn't see any of the little birdies.

You never know with people. Frannie and Dan have a beautiful house, lovely flowers and shrubberies and brand new cars. They're both good-looking and the whole family is tastefully dressed and immaculately groomed. I wouldn't have taken them to be people that would let birds live in their porch, pooping down on any unsuspecting arriving houseguests. I guess that although I've tried not to assume things about them based on their race, I obviously have assumed things based on their flowergardens. (I assumed they put pesticides on their lawns; I assumed they didn't care about birds as much as appearances; I assumed their little girl's feelings about baby birds would come secondary to keeping up with the Joneses)

Any self-respecting leader who is reading this website or my book
I assume will not be racist. Racism destroys organizations, morale, work ethic. But there's a lesson to be learned in this bird's nest story nevertheless: All assumption is flawed!

I cant tell you how many times I've seen leaders run into trouble by making assumptions, rather than gathering facts. I've done it myself as well.

It seems as if it's human nature to assume we know things. After all, it saves time. Collecting facts is far more effort.

Today I drove down the street and noticed Dan sweeping up bird poop in his porch. He waved to me and smiled. "Where you off to?"

"Going to pick up my copy of Harry Potter!" I replied.

"Is that so? I assumed you wouldn't approve of that sort of thing," he said, poopy broom in hand. Go figure.