There have been numerous studies over the years about the direct and indirect cost to society from either unhealthy habits or wasting time - from smoking, fast food, lack of sleep or even watching YouTube videos at work. You name it, and there’s been an impact study.
I’m not sure how it would be done or if its been done, but it would be very enlightening and certainly eye-opening if effort were put to determine the costs paid for guessing, assuming - or just what we pay for lack of clarity. Knowing that clarity equals better decisions, understood expectations and a more harmonious work environment.
The price paid for no clarity is friction causing, time wasting (via excessive effort in the wrong direction) and the opportunity cost is big - spending too much time in the wrong direction vs. that same time used toward progress.
Why does this happen, many reasons - While it’s true that all growth begins with telling the truth, the moment we want better outcomes will be the time we will not settle for guessing and assumptions. Clarity now become your responsibility. Because you are the one seeking better outcomes, you will be the one asking for specifics and seeking clarity.
Would people really want to be unclear? Yes
Commitments create responsibilities and the truth my make someone come across as “mean” - who wants to be known as “mean” - think of sales - virtually all sales calls end with the prospect saying something positive, squishy and non-committal (yet most won’t end up purchasing), the responsibility to eliminate guessing and assumptions is the salesperson’s. Think about a less devious example - an office meeting transpires with not very clear expectations and we then play to each other’s interpretations and inferences of what each thought the other was going to do.
Getting to a point of clarity thru the elimination of guesses and assumptions requires more than one blogpost. I look forward to exploring further - if you have any thoughts, or know of a study based around the costs from guessing and assuming, please let me know