Most leadership mistakes don’t come from bad decisions. They come from unquestioned assumptions.
Assumptions feel safe because they’re familiar. They sound like facts. They often were true once. As companies grow, conditions change faster than the thinking that built the original rules.
That’s when an old belief starts quietly driving new decisions.
Where Assumptions Hide
Assumptions show up as statements leaders stop questioning...
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“This is how our industry works.”
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“Our customers won’t pay for that.”
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“That role doesn’t need decision rights.”
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“We’ve already tried that.”
None of that sound reckless and that’s the problem.
An assumption can block a new offer, slow a hire, or stop a needed change before it even gets discussed. People don’t say, “We’re assuming.” They say, “We know.”
Pressure Makes It Worse
Under pressure, leaders lean harder on assumptions. They move faster, trust past patterns, and default to what worked before. That’s where the gap opens.
In sports, it’s a team running last season’s game plan while the opponent has changed personnel, speed, and style. The calls make sense on paper. They just don’t fit what’s happening on the field.
The same thing happens in business. Leaders make smart moves for a version of the company that no longer exists.
What Challenging Assumptions Looks Like
Challenging assumptions doesn’t mean second-guessing everything. It means being precise about what you’re treating as fact.
It sounds like this:
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“What are we assuming here?”
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“When was the last time we tested that?”
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“What would we do if this weren’t true?”
Here’s the real-world version. A leader says, “Customers won’t pay for that.” So the team keeps discounting. Margins stay tight. The business stays stressed.
A better move is to test it. Change how you package it. Change how you explain it. Try it with a small group. See what happens before you let one belief set your ceiling.
Same with roles. A leader says, “That person doesn’t need decision rights.” So decisions stack up at the top. Work slows down. Everyone waits.
Test the assumption. Give a clear decision boundary. Track results. Adjust.
Inside and Outside the Business
Internally, untested assumptions slow execution. Teams hesitate because they’re working around rules that don’t match reality. Meetings turn into debates because no one can prove what’s true.
When leaders surface assumptions and test them, teams move faster. People stop guessing and start acting on what they know.
Externally, customers feel it when assumptions linger. Offers don’t evolve. Policies feel outdated. Service falls behind expectations.
In sports, teams that adjust fastest are the ones willing to admit the game has changed. In business, leaders who challenge assumptions early avoid getting forced into change later.
The Leadership Shift
Assumptions aren’t bad. Untested assumptions are.
Ask yourself:
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What are we treating as fact without evidence?
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What belief made sense at $2M that may not hold at $20M?
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What decision are we protecting because it’s familiar?
The goal isn’t to prove the past wrong. It’s to make sure today’s decisions fit today’s reality.
Pat Alacqua helps leadership teams get the right work done by the right people at the right time. He prevents or fixes the operational and mental breakdowns that stall growth, allowing leaders to scale with clarity and control. He is the author of the Amazon best-seller Obstacles to Opportunity: Transforming Business Challenges into Triumphs.
If you are on a leadership team and growth feels harder day by day, follow him here on LinkedIn. This is the stage he helps leaders navigate every day.