Every unexamined assumption is a potential blind spot leading to a strategic dead end. This video is a practical guide for leaders on how to challenge assumptions and uncover these blind spots *without* creating analysis paralysis or slowing your business down.

Discover a pragmatic framework for making critical thinking a habit, not a roadblock. We break down how to create psychological safety, use the 80/20 rule to focus only on high-stakes assumptions, and integrate powerful questioning into your existing workflows (strategy reviews, project kick-offs, and post-mortems). Learn how to normalise dissent by institutionalising roles like the 'Devil's Advocate' and the 'Toddler' to cut through corporate BS and get to the root of an issue.

This isn't about endless debate; it's about building a smarter, faster, and more resilient business.

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IN THIS EPISODE

00:00 Intro

00:08 Safety First, Creativity Second

00:38 Prioritising Problems to Question

01:26 Integrating Questioning into Daily Workflows

02:15 Welcoming Different Perspectives

02:50 Normalising Dissent & Curiosity

03:00 Hiring a Strategist

HOW TO QUESTION ASSUMPTIONS WITHOUT SLOWING DOWN

1. PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY

2. 80/20 PARETO PRINCIPLE

Not all assumptions carry equal weight. Some are foundational to your strategy, while others are minor operational details. The Pareto Principle (80/20 rule) often applies: roughly 80% of the potential negative impact comes from 20% of your unexamined assumptions.

3. IMPACT / UNCERTAINTY MATRIX

Mentally (or literally) plot assumptions on a 2x2 matrix:

• High Impact / High Uncertainty: These are your top priority for questioning. The potential fallout of being wrong is huge.
• High Impact / Low Uncertainty: Validate these periodically, but they are likely more stable.
• Low Impact / High Uncertainty: Worth a quick check, but don't over-invest time.
• Low Impact / Low Uncertainty: Generally safe to leave unexamined unless circumstances change drastically.

4. INTEGRATIVE QUESTIONS

• Strategy reviews question: What would have to be true for this to fail?
• Project kick-offs question: What assumptions are we making about resources, customers, market response?
• Post-mortems questions: What did we assume that turned out to be dead wrong? What can we learn?
• Decisions questions: What are we assuming here, and what if the opposite were true? What are the top 3 assumptions we’re resting this on? What if they’re wrong?

5. MEETING ROLES TO ASSIGN

• The Devil’s Advocate: “That might not be true.”
• The Toddler: “But why is that true?”
• Normalise dissent. Make curiosity part of your culture. That’s real strategy hygiene.

6. STRATEGIC HIRE

KEEP IN TOUCH

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Time to set yourself free!

ABOUT UNBOUND MIND

UNBOUND MIND confronts the prisons of our own making: Stress, Struggle, Suffering, and Stuckness.

We operate on one radical truth: the psychological traps that sink businesses are the exact same traps that screw your life and your mental health.

Here, we dissect the cognitive biases, flawed cultural narratives, and comfortable lies that keep you trapped. This isn't about easy, ego-soothing answers. It's about giving you the tools of provocative thinking to reclaim your power, forge resilience, and achieve true cognitive freedom.