We make assumptions all the time. This person did that just to annoy us; this other person is being lazy and that's why they didn't finish their work on time.
But they're just assumptions, we can't know the real reason why another person did something because we're not them and we're not mind-readers.
To prevent the inevitable conflict that follows making judgments based on assumptions at Yarno we use the 'seek to understand' framework.
It's easy - all it requires is, instead of assuming you know the depth and breadth of a situation, or the reasons behind a person's actions, you admit to yourself and the other person that you can't know everything, and seek to understand the situation from the other person's perspective.
And how do you seek to understand another person's perspective? Ask them! Talk to them, walk that mile in their shoes.
Communication, not money, makes the world go round. Try it out with your co-workers and your customers, and you'll find that there's an inverse relationship between effective communication and conflict.
Do you seek to understand in work and life?
