Imagine asking an elephant to jump over a fence.

When it can't, do we conclude that the elephant is lazy,unmotivated, or resistant to change or authority? Of course not. At least, I hope not!

We recognise immediately that the request isn’t appropriate,without judging the elephant. Yet in workplaces, managers and peers make similar judgements about colleagues every day.

Someone misses a deadline, and we may assume they‘re not committed. A colleague avoids eye contact, and we decide they're unfriendly, or just rude. An employee struggles in a meeting, and we conclude they're not leadership material.

Our brains are remarkably efficient at filling in gaps with assumptions. It's one of the ways humans make sense of an incredibly complex world.

The problem is that assumptions aren't evidence, but we often make our judgements based on them.

Every behaviour has a context. Perhaps the employee has urgent caring responsibilities. Perhaps eye contact is considered disrespectful in their culture. Perhaps the person is neurodivergent. Or, maybe there's just a lot going on today.

Curiosity is a key leadership tool, and certainly better than taking an assumption as fact.

That doesn't mean abandoning accountability or ignoring performance issues. It means recognising that understanding context should be part of how we make our judgements.

The most inclusive leaders I've worked with aren't those who never make assumptions; they're the ones who notice when they've made one and ask themselves why.

How can we build more curiosity into our everyday interactions before reaching conclusions?

The next time you find yourself making a judgement about someone, stop for a moment.

Ask yourself one simple question: "What information don't I have yet?"

That pause for reflection has the power to change conversations, relationships, and sometimes entire workplace cultures.