Assumption

I recently started a job and the office premises had not been fully furnished and so one day, when there was a very important meeting of the top officers, my department had to vacate our office temporarily for a couple of days. Our office was bigger and better equipped for the purpose of that meeting.

While we were displaced, we had to make do with a room that had only chairs and no surfaces. On the second day of being displaced, one of the staff who had worked there longer than most us had, came into our temporary space, beckoned to me and said; “madam, please come”.

I was instantly upset because he didn’t wait for me to accept, he began walking up the stairs to the floor where his office and our vacated office was. I walked behind him, murmuring silently. You see, we had tagged him already as a person who was very full of himself. He was the kind of person who had an air of importance and spoke with a kind of pride we did not understand. A few people had even complained that he didn’t respond to their greetings.

When we got to the floor, he said to me: “Madam, we have an extra table and I want you to have it. you can move it down to the space you have occupied. You can return it when you move back to your office”.

I said thank you and went to get someone to help me move it.

When I settled behind my new table, I started to wonder, what if we dealt with people without assuming. Easier said than done right? I honestly didn’t know why he called me, but I just assumed it was for no good. It turned out it was totally for my own good and of no benefit to him at all.

I made a few notes to:

• Call myself back to order when I start to make assumptions.
• Keep my mind open.
• Ask questions when I am not sure.
• Listen with my mind and ears
• Avoid emotional reactions and try to stop them when I feel them surfacing.

I only hope I can remember to keep to them.