Our Favourite Restaurant

The story: They agreed on dinner at their favourite restaurant. The word "our" did the damage. Each assumed there was a shared favourite. There wasn't. She booked Italian. He booked sushi. Both were already on the train when they found out.

What it means for organisations: Shared history creates the strongest assumption of shared understanding — and the least incentive to check. In organisations, culture, priorities, and ways of working are full of "ours" that each person has quietly personalised without anyone noticing.