Own the Room

CHAPTER THREE

ASSUMPTIONS

Mental Conditioning

We start with assumptions because they are the bedrock of our words and actions. Your beliefs about yourself, others, and the situation you are in have the power to bolster your presence but also to undermine it. What you think and feel deeply influence your own experience and how other people experience you.

When we sat down with John to work through the feedback he had gotten from his fellow partners—that he was a great team player and that he clearly worked hard to be collaborative and gain consensus—John did not understand what the problem was. Of course, he sought consensus and believed in being a team player. These principles had gotten him far in his career. However, when we went through the ...