# Reasons Big and Small By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-10-09 People tend to have reasons for what they do. Some reasons are big. Some reasons are small. When people work together and attempt to determine collectively what to do, these big and small reasons collide. In general, small reasons are sufficient for individual decisions. In collective decisions, big reasons are necessary to galvanize support for an action. When a big reason for action collides with a small reason against it, the person offering the small reason as one’s justification can end up seeming petty. It isn’t necessarily the case that the small reason is illegitimate. It very well could be true. It is simply that the small reason is insufficient, given the magnitude of the problem. A good heuristic is if the rationale provided is a personal preference; it is likely a small reason. Organizational changes are often painful. They can require sacrifice and readjustment. Some of what one liked about the organization might change. These are real and should be acknowledged, if not lamented. But big reasons trump small reasons. Existential demands are more important than personal preferences. Putting things into perspective can be achieved by combining big and small issues. If somebody provides a small justification, simply respond with something like, “So, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that we shouldn’t reorganize to reduce costs, gain efficiencies, and establish the long-term viability of the organization because you prefer the current process in which there is no oversight over your expenditures?” Oversight is a drag. There is no arguing that. However, the justification is inadequate against the scale of the problem. There are reasons, big and small. Bringing a small reason to a big problem comes across as childish. Try to avoid it. #### Related Items [[Thinking]] [[Action]] [[Reasons]] [[Preferences]] [[Change]] [[Justification]]