Step 1 - Design the metrics to identify costs and progress: How can you determine what negative impact your Big Assumption is having on the district. How can you gauge the progress the district might make if you removed your Big Assumption?

"....assumed that if others recognized that he was not exactly clear about every step or see that he is uncertain, they will lose confidence in him as a leader, see him as an ineffective leader, and he will be a failure..."


Step 2 - Observe the Big Assumption: During this step, you do not attempt to change your Big Assumption. You actively observe. By observing your Big Assumption in action, you keep track of those situations where you can see your Big Assumption at work - for example, influencing how you look at things, feel about things, take action (or don't take action), make choices, or spend your energies.

Step 3 - Stay alert to challenge to the Big Assumption: look for any experiences that might lead you to question the truthfulness of your Big Assumption. Our Big Assumptions lead us to attend systematically to certain data and to systematically avoid or ignore other data.

Step 4 - Write the biography of your Big Assumption: when was it born? How long has it been around? What were some of its critical turning points?

Step 5 - Design a test of your Big Assumption:
test should be safe and modest; allow you to collect data related to your Big Assumption; be actionable within a week or two.

Step 6 - Run the test: the overall purpose of the test is to see what happens when you alter your usual conduct and then reflect on the results in light of your Big Assumption.

Step 7 - Develop new designs and new tests: with the new information you get from your first test, form hypotheses about different ways you could be operating in your leadership work. In subsequent tests, explore these hypotheses further, experiment with new behaviors, and generate additional hypotheses to guide your work.