Assume Context Before Character

When something goes wrong at work, our brains make a fast judgment.

If a colleague misses a deadline, we might think: They’re unreliable.

If we miss one, we think: I was overloaded.

This is called the Fundamental Attribution Error — the tendency to attribute others’ behavior to their character, while attributing our own behavior to circumstance.

Left unchecked, it quietly erodes trust. When leaders assume negative intent, teams become cautious. People protect themselves instead of speaking openly or taking ownership.

The good news: this reflex can be trained. It starts with slowing down long enough to seek context before forming conclusions.

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This Month’s Leadership Tip

The next time someone falls short, pause and ask:

“What might be true that I can’t see yet?”

Then get curious before drawing conclusions:

• “Help me understand what happened.”

• “What obstacles were in the way?”

• “What can we learn from this?”

This simple shift replaces judgment with understanding.

When leaders model curiosity instead of assumption, teams respond with honesty instead of defensiveness.

Small shift. Big impact.