When the Oracle at Delphi claimed Socrates was the wisest person in the world, Socrates was shocked.
He immediately went and spoke to the wisest people he could find to see if what the Oracle said was true.
The only difference he found was that whilst others saw themselves as wise, he saw himself as ignorant.
Socrates was respected for his wisdom because his default assumption was that he knew so little.
This is the ignorance assumption.
In my own career, each time I’ve allowed myself to think, “I’ve got this, I’m doing well,” something usually goes awry, and I’m humbled.
On the flip side, when my default assumption is, “I could be wrong,” “Perhaps there’s another explanation,” or “Let’s double check this data,” I’m usually able to catch a flaw in my logic or approach.
This doesn’t mean I’m an advocate of timidity or risk aversion, though.
I still believe meaningful progress depends upon bold ideas executed by bold people.
What it does mean is that I have a clear goal: to try, every day, to bring a little more humility to the table than I did yesterday.
And maybe, then, I’ll have a shot at using the ignorance assumption to become a better version of myself.