Say the tradeoff out loud

Most resentments inside teams and inside customer relationships are unnamed tradeoffs that got chosen quietly and felt later.

Saying the tradeoff out loud at the moment of the decision — to your team, to your customer, to yourself — does not eliminate the cost. It does eliminate the surprise.

People can live with almost any tradeoff they understood at the time. They struggle with tradeoffs that were chosen on their behalf and explained afterward.

Naming the cost is a small act of respect that pays back in the form of trust for years.