People value what they're strong in

One item of discussion that stood out was that people inherently value what they themselves are strong in. Because I love art and classical music, I tend to esteem other people that appreciate them as well. I can actually give preference to them, although they may have other behaviors or interests that are completely opposed to my own perspectives. However since I don't know about those behaviors or interests I can continue believing, and make judgments and decisions that affect myself and others, based on a limited understanding of the person.

The solution, at least in part, lies in seeing things from the system perspective where we realize that a person has many aspects to their character and my appreciation of them needs to be in the context of them as a whole, that is if I care about making judgments and decisions based on facts rather than my own egocentric view of the world. One main problem is that many people are completely ignorant to the fact that the person may actually not be like themselves and therefore may actually have good or bad qualities that I should be aware of if I'm to continue having a relationship with them.

All of this applies to the organizational level as well. If the group, team, or organization is focused intently on their own goals, agenda's, and perspectives, they may be entirely missing out on other important opportunities, or unaware of other significant risks.

If we are to be able to take advantage of unseen opportunities and escape unseen detriments, we need to be able to see value in other people and systems. This requires looking at things from a new perspective and generally requires the help of others since we are so steeped in our own perspective. The challenge to myself is to remember that we all bring value and there are things I do not yet know. It is up to me to discover the best and worst to help guide my decisions to the optimal state.