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<br />our position then the other side will capitulate. Yet capitulation <br />rarely happens. <br /> <br />Or perhaps we believe "the public" will see how principled we are <br />and reward us for our adamant individual stand and punish the rest <br />of the group for failing to see the virtue in our individual position. <br />Yet the public is more often focused on results mutually arrived at by <br />cooperative adults, and less interested in crusaders or "Lone Rang- <br />ers." <br /> <br />The opposite side to underestimating <br />the cost to ourselves from failure to <br />reach agreement is to overestimate the <br />cost to the other side or the other <br />person. Maybe we rationalize not <br />compromising on the mistaken <br />assumption that the other person or <br />the other side will somehow lose more <br />from not compromising than we will. <br /> <br />People seem to underes- <br />timate the cost to them- <br />selves of failing to reach <br />agreement, and to overes- <br />timate the cost to the <br />other person. <br /> <br />In reality, whatever the situation, more often than not both sides or <br />both people are harmed by a failure to reach agreement. There is cer- <br />tainly an emotional and practical toll for failing to agree. Under- <br />standing the costs of failing to agree can make us more receptive to <br />good, if not perfect, mutual decisions. <br /> <br />I. Don't Let the Perfect Become the Enemy of the Good <br /> <br />Some staff members, citizen advisory commission members, and City <br />Councilmembers may become hung up on achieving perfect results <br />or having a perfect rationale before they act. <br /> <br />Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good. Some results are <br />far superior to the current situation. And solid, even if partial, Pro- <br /> <br />26 <br />