"When we hired a new Sales Representative, I made some assumptions about her that I should not have. I asked her if she was married with children, and she said yes - she was married and had two children. Making small talk, I asked what her husband did for a living and how long they had been married. She replied by telling me that she and her wife had been together for 15 years, having adopted their two children. She told me they were married for just eight years due to same-sex marriage laws in our state. I was mortified with my assumptions and finished the conversation pretty quickly before walking away. Before approaching this team member again, I gathered my thoughts on how to present an apology. Later that day, I apologized to her genuinely and told her that I wanted to learn to lose the assumptions and automatic reflexes I had formed over the years. I owned up to my behavior and admitted I was wrong, which helped us build a good working relationship moving forward. The biggest lesson that I learned was never to make blanket assumptions about any aspect of another persons' life. Since this incident, I have taken sensitivity coursework online, and I enrolled my team members since I found the course to provide immense value. I, and my team, are much better at leading conversations in the workplace, and we continue to grow every day."
