I’m onsite for a project and the building we’re renting has a security gate across the stairwell on the second floor. When I went to bring our supplies upstairs, I discovered that the lock was locked tight. A scramble ensued — trying to find staff, staff trying to find the key, etc. Then we discovered that yes, the lock was locked, but it was closed onto itself, not the gate, which had been free to pull open the whole time.
The same type of situation occurred with others later that day. I arrived back at the building to find someone patiently waiting for staff to unlock the door — because the door is always locked — except for days when others rent the space. So, I opened the door and walked right in. At lunch, someone lamented that their sandwich was dry and they couldn’t even taste the mayo — probably because the mayo came in packets in the box lunch instead of on the sandwich, but they just assumed it was pre-loaded.
All these cases illustrate people making assumptions and acting accordingly, without taking even one step back to test them. I didn’t try the gate; he didn’t open the door, and she didn’t check to see if mayo was included. All minor things to be sure — but if we don’t challenge the small things, I suspect we could be guilty of the same transgressions on matters of consequence.
