Amer Kaissi in Harvard Business Review Podcast on Power of Assuming Positive Intent

Amer Kaissi, Ph.D., Trinity University professor of Health Care Administration, was the featured guest on the Harvard Business Review’s HBR IdeaCast podcast, discussing why defaulting to negative assumptions about others in the workplace can quietly damage teams, trust, and organizational performance. He argues leaders must cultivate a “positive intent mindset,” giving colleagues, clients, and even critics the benefit of the doubt while still maintaining accountability to build stronger relationships and better outcomes. Kaissi outlines practical ways to shift from skepticism to curiosity, emphasizing that assuming best intentions fosters trust, collaboration, and healthier workplace dynamics without ignoring real challenges. 

Five practical takeaways Kaissi shares are: adopt a positive intent mindset, replace judgment with curiosity, balance trust with accountability, strengthen collaboration and engagement, and cultivate realistic optimism and humility. Listen to the full podcast here.