Finding an intersection between you and others will create the context for faster decisions, less wasted time, and more joyful collaboration. Usually, people come into conversations prepared to advocate for and defend their current position and preferences. We recommend you look for places where we do agree, where we do have purposes in common, and where we can support each other. The intersection is about integration, not domination.

The more quickly you get to a genuine intersection the more quickly a Cycle of Value can begin. We consider the intersection to be the foundation of all collaborative value, and there are three axioms or universal principles that govern our potential to launch valuable collaboration:

1. All people have purposes (things they care about, that they are for), concerns (things they are worried about, that they are against), and circumstances they are living in (facts)

2. When people perceive you are unaware of or opposed to their purposes, concerns, and circumstances, they resist, producing waste

3. When people perceive you are aware of and sensitive to their purposes, concerns, and circumstances, they communicate and collaborate, producing value