Everyone is part of a community that shares a certain worldview. They see things the same way. They “know” certain things are true. It’s actually quite reassuring when you gather together and your own view of the world is confirmed by others in your community. We all need this. Think about that professional association meeting you go to where you can get that kind of confirmation.

The good associations, of course, will also work hard to provide some content that challenges that world view. As much as we need confirmation sometimes, we also need people who will challenge our assumptions and push us to see things differently. I’ve played that role sometimes at conferences (I like that role, actually). I try to get people to take a hard look at what they “know” is true and be open to the idea that it may not be as true as they think it is.

But in the end, you can’t outsource the work of challenging your own assumptions. You need to own that yourself. You need to intentionally create situations where confront your own assumptions about what’s true. It’s a great place to be, actually, that space where you’re suddenly not sure what’s true any more. A lot of really great insights come out of that place. So don’t get too comfortable getting your ideas confirmed. Find people outside of your “bubble” to talk to periodically and stretch your thinking.