The power of assuming positive intent

Recently a friend asked me about my approach to dealing with country and regional culture differences and ways of working. The context was this: working in a multinational corporation, we often come across decisions made by colleagues in other markets that puzzle us — or even appear crazy at first.

I have been there many times. And I have to admit, my first instinct was not always generous.

The time I got it wrong

A few years back, one of our country teams launched a campaign that, on paper, looked like a terrible idea. The targeting was off, the budget allocation made no sense to me, and the creative was nothing like what we had agreed on at the regional level. My initial reaction? I was convinced they either did not understand the brief or simply did not care.

I drafted a strongly worded email. Thankfully, I slept on it.

The next day, I got on a call with the local team instead. It turned out they had intel on a competitor move that we at the regional level were not aware of. Their "crazy" decisions were actually a smart, fast response to local market conditions. If I had sent that email, I would have damaged the relationship and looked foolish in the process.

That moment changed how I approach these situations.

Why centralized control feels safe (but isn't)

When we have more and more of these "puzzling" decisions from local teams, the temptation is to go with a centralised model — where each country has very limited decision-making power and needs approval from the regional or global lead for almost everything.

If this works for you, then congrats! There are many ways to solve a problem :) However, if you still want to try the decentralised model — to empower local teams to make their own decisions — then I think the first prerequisite is the assumption of positive intent.

What assuming positive intent actually looks like

With a solid hiring process, you would assume that the company brings in talented and passionate team members. Then it is logical to coach and empower them to do their own job, rather than micromanaging every decision from afar.

"Assuming positive intent" is very hard at first, but it becomes easier with practice. Here are a few things that helped me:

• Sleep on it. If your initial emotional reaction is strong, resist the urge to respond immediately. I know how tempting that can be — how rewarding it feels to release your frustration. But that feeling is short-lived, and the damage can be long-lasting.
• Ask before you judge. Many times, by starting with the assumption that a team member must have valid reasons behind a "crazy decision," I broadened my understanding and came up with better solutions.
• Remember they want it to work too. Your team wants the project to succeed as much as you do. That colleague who did not respond to you on time? Instead of assuming laziness, consider that they had something more urgent to handle and would get back to you at the soonest suitable moment.

A small caveat

Obviously, I am not too naive to think that this is true across everyone, in all organisations. Office politics and different personal agendas do exist. Rather than being discouraged by it, I think it helps to understand the range of motivations so you can factor them into your approach.

It changed me

Assuming positive intent has helped me tremendously in my professional and personal life. It helped me grow, to be a better version of myself over time. And I hope it would help you too. So if you haven't tried it yet — start :)

Have you ever assumed the worst about a colleague's decision and turned out to be wrong? I would love to hear your story.

Cheers,

Chandler