The Human Factor

Many decisions cannot be sorted out on a calculator. They need to consider the human factor.

• "It would have made sense to wait. There would have been less risk and expense but there were growing demands for prompt action and any serious delay would have triggered a revolt."
• "He would have backed the proposal if he'd been consulted."
• "On paper, everything looks great, but I didn't like the feeling in that room."
• "Oh sure, you have enough votes to pass it. But the proposal has no support from the other side, even from those who often lean in our direction, and if you ram it through you will create unnecessary embarrassment and anger and increase the opposition to a program that requires widespread support. The numbers are enough to win the battle but not enough to win the war."
• "They're not reacting to you. They are reacting to what happened ten years before you even came on the scene."
• "We understand that he was forced to concede but he went far beyond mere compliance and took actions that indicated enthusiastic support for the other side."
• "Yes, they would have screamed if you had done it and now they are cheering because she did it. But they trust that she won't go any further than necessary and they worried that you would go too far."
• "They should work together but they won't cooperate for one simple reason: they can't stand one another."
• "Your 'yes' means 'yes' but some of the other people meant 'probably' or 'perhaps' and in a few cases 'no.'"