With all this talk of resolutions, goal setting and what 2013 might bring I was reminded today about the assumptions we make and how we are not always as good as we might be about challenging those assumptions. In my workshops I have often introduced the Ladder of Assumption as a useful tool., developed by Argyris and Schon it highlights our tendency to see the world as we are rather than as it is.

I find it such a powerful reminder that we need to check in with our assumptions from time to time and recognise them for what they are. We need to ask ourselves:

• On what basis am I making this assumption?
• What leads me to think this might be an appropriate assumption to make?
• How might this assumption be challenged?
• What might the consequences be for my assumption being wrong?

I find the metaphor of the ladder a great way of checking in with myself about conclusions I may have drawn all too hastily. Watch out for those snakes!