This was a really good post.

A chat with Stephen Covey on conflict vs. synergy « FoundRead
Situational empathy, otherwise known as putting yourself in the other people’s shoes is a very powerful approach to dealing with people and how they approach almost anything. You have to understand why, as well as who. The linked post is all about placing yourself in another person’s shoes and asking that person to help you into them. Then walking a path that you could not do yourself, to a place that you could not get to on your own – and most importantly, a place that the other person was not interested in walking to. Another comment to make though… it is not always true that all parties feel the benefits of the synergy.