A disingenuous phrase has crept into business conversations (at least ones I’ve been a part of) the last few years:
The phrase is, of course, almost always followed by the speaker disagreeing with something someone else was saying.
The person I first heard use the phrase was a sales person - a generally positive individual. Perhaps his use of the phrase began as a way to soften points of real difference. Unfortunately, its use has spread. Now it serves as a telltale sign that somebody is throwing you a small “agreement bone,” only to zing you with a major point of contention masquerading as concurrence.
Here’s an alternative: actually listen to what someone is saying and find something on which to agree.