A patient mind lets other people reveal their priorities.

Given time and space, people show what they actually care about through what they pursue, protect, and let go. Rushing a situation forces everyone into stated positions, which are always more polished and less informative than revealed ones. Patience lets the real priorities surface.

In a negotiation or an unclear relationship, ask fewer direct questions and watch more. Note what someone spends their effort on. Their behaviour will tell you within weeks what their answers would not have told you at all.