"One of the most common--and easiest--listening mistakes we can make in surface listening mode is to project our own feelings, ideas, or experiences onto others. We may, for instance, assume that others relate to things in the same way we do, out of a desire to bond over a 'shared' experience... but because we're usually operating within the context of our unique experiences, we risk missing signals that our perspectives may differ."

"The best product managers always take time to learn about what makes an organization unique before they start implementing--or even suggesting--specific best practices. And when they do start implementing those best practices, they start small and build incrementally."

"...we, too, have our preprogrammed tapes; and, although they usually work to our advantage, the trigger features that activate them can be used to dupe us into playing them at the wrong times."

"[In an experiment, the subjects] received [a stranger's] holiday greeting card, click, and, whirr, they automatically sent one in return. While small in scope, this study nicely shows the action of one of the most potent of the weapons of influence around us--the rule for reciprocation. The rule says that we should try to replay, in kind, what another person has provided us."

"We all want a flash of divine inspiration that changes the world--and impresses our teammates. We want to create something completely new. But amazing ideas don't happen like that...Time and time again, the ideas that spark the best solutions come from similar problems in different environments."

"Cognitive psychologists define 'habits' as 'automatic behaviors triggered by situational cues': things we do with little or no conscious thought....[Companies that form strong user habits] attach their product to internal triggers. As a result users show up without any external prompting. Instead of relying on expensive marketing, habit-forming companies link their services to the users' daily routines and emotions."