We are wrong to think that assessments and assertion are the same. Confusing these two can result to a great personal suffering, a crippled performance, and reduced team coordination inside an organization.

Language is an action. It creates a possibility—a future that when unspoken would never exist. In our mouth is the power to create speech actions that can empower our communities and organizations forward. As we understand the difference between assessments and assertions, we can unlock that power.

An assertion, to put simply, is a statement that is either true or false. For example, “The room temperature is 26 degrees celsius.” In a sense, when evidence is provided to support an assertion, even if it invalidates the statement, it still is an assertion, though it’s a false one.

An assessment, on the other hand, is something held but cannot be proven. For example, “This is a cold room.” It is an opinion that a person makes in theory which is used when considering future action, or when simply justifying a feeling.

People are assessment-making machines. We continuously create assessments of ourselves and of others, as if they were true assertions and we speak in terms of judgments as though our assessments are facts. And then, we base our decisions and our actions on those assessments. When we are not careful to distinguish the kinds of assessments we are dealing with, we hinder new possibilities of prosperity and growth.

The problem with assessments is that when they are ungrounded they create an illusion that the statement or the characteristic we say about a person, an issue or a situation are actually its permanent properties which shuts down any possibilities.

For example, when we say, “I am not competent in meeting deadlines.” It’s as though the characteristic you’ve mentioned are irrefutable and by so believing and deciding according to this ungrounded assessment, every action will drift towards your ‘incompetence.’

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What are the assessments you’ve made about yourself, your situation, and your future? Are these empowering or dangerous assessments?