We all are different thinkers. Some of us prefer visual thinking, some love to bounce ideas off each other, and some prefer solo, uninterrupted thinking. No one method is better than another, however, it's useful to know how people you meant to interact with think.
Here's a quick example: imagine you're designing a new car. You might start with a quick sketch outlining your main ideas. Then you share this sketch with an engineer to get quick feedback on the feasibility of your ideas.
- But where is suspension? Where is the battery going? I don't see a driving wheel... - you hear back from the engineer.
I don't know how often something like this happens in the manufacturing world, but it's definitely common in software development. One of the reasons for such a disconnect is different approaches to thinking.
Some people are comfortable thinking in iterations. They will get an initial idea, describe it - often scrappy, incomplete. Then they will share it with collaborators to get early feedback and then they will refine.
Some other people are not perfectly comfortable with this approach. They used to think in results. They would work on the idea in their heads, or on any medium and only after achieving a certain complete state, only then will they communicate the idea.
When results people see the "thinking in progress" version of iterations people - they might get disappointed. They might think that's it, all they will get. And iterations people not getting the feedback they hoped for to improve their thinking.
This challenge becomes especially significant if people with different thinking styles are a boss and an employee or a client and a provider. It's always better to inform people you are working with about your approach to thinking and learn about their preferences.
An example: your boss thinks in results and you as an employee think in iterations, you need to be mindful of when to share the information. You still might apply your favourite thinking style, invite other collaborators and take your time polishing the outcomes. Then you report back to your boss who will provide feedback on the results of your work.
Another example: you, a designer and your client are both iteration thinkers. You can start sharing as soon as you want. You can even have shared brainstorming sessions. The feedback will start flowing early allowing you to refine your thinking for the next iterations.
The more you know about thinking styles, and in general - the communication styles of your co-workers, clients, and providers - the better you can work together. So dedicate some time, be curious and open, it will pay off significantly moving forward.