Assume good intentions

Many people develop bad attitudes by assuming bad intentions on the part of others. Nine times out of ten when a member of your team is bleating on about the way a co-worker has angered or upset them, the co-worker has no idea it is happening. So rationally ask whether that co-worker intended to upset anyone. When your team member applies some adult thinking, they’ll probably realise there was no intention to upset. Jamie Ford, Foresight Institute.

From Building a More Resilient Workplace, NZ Management magazine, April 2008