BYS 04/19/25 🟨 “Why not?” beats “We can’t”.
When you accept assumptions as facts, you stop exploring other options.
Teams that assume a customer’s needs are fixed, a process can’t be improved, or a technology won’t scale dismisses new ideas before they’re tested, settling for small tweaks instead of real breakthroughs.
Ask "What if I'm wrong" inside today's Big Yellow Sticky...
Assumptions Block Innovations.
When you treat your first creative concept as fact, you diminish your belief of what’s possible.
You start fixing problems inside the frame you’ve already drawn instead of asking whether the frame itself is wrong.
Assumptions are how teams end up polishing yesterday’s solution instead of building tomorrow’s breakthrough. Every time you say, “Customers won’t pay for that,” or “This tech can’t handle the load,” you decide the conversation is over before it begins.
Push yourself to replace assumptive statements with qualifying questions.
Ask, “What evidence do we have?” and “How could we test the opposite?” Run small experiments, talk to actual users, and look for data that either proves or disproves your hunch. You’ll quickly see which limits are real and which are just habits of thought.
The more assumptions you challenge, the wider the path you clear for fresh ideas and true innovation.
See you tomorrow with a brand new Big Yellow Sticky...
