Whether it's busiess negotiations, quarrels with friends or even international politics, we know it's important to first seek to understand the other side. But in business - we think we know it all.

"My customers won't understand the brilliance of my product unless I can show them a complete build."

"Thanks for your advice, but I like this other methodology better."

"Yeah yeah, you're just doing the same thing as me, but using different terms."

"Nice idea, but I'll ignore your 10 years of research, iteration and community knowledge because my idea is better."

When we see something we recognise, we assume we understand the whole picture. These attitudes miss out on an arsenal of useful techniques, and make you prone to error and blindness. Learn from others - seek to understand.