If there’s s anything that we learned from the host team England over the weekend , it’s that you have to be careful about assuming that others see the world the way you do. It’s very easy for any organization, a team or a company to get caught up in its own echo chamber of like-minded believers, forgetting that there need to check and make sure that the vision and the goal  matches the external reality, or you could be enthusiastically charging towards a similar shock as the England rugby team that has fallen by the way side.

In business, most companies are the centers of their own universes. It’s a natural enough impression; after all, the products and services they offer are on their minds 24/7. The trap is in those companies deluding themselves into thinking that they are as important to their customers as they are to themselves.

But how do we fix that?

Make sure you are continuously seeking a more thorough and objective understanding of your customers, harness the fresh perspectives of new employees, and have the humility to recognize that your customers may have needs and lives beyond your company. Admit where you maybe wrong.

Don’t wait for a catastrophe to show you when you’ve become too caught up in your own hype.