As she stepped down as home secretary, Suella Braverman produced with a flourish what she believed was proof of a deal with UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. She claimed he agreed to a list of her conditions for taking on the role. It was the latest example of a phenomenon that has long fascinated me: people who make deals that turn out to be imaginary. We've probably all seen a friend come a cropper by assuming a personal commitment was mutual, only to be let down with a bump. At work, similar problems seem most often to centre on misinterpreting doing favours, or giving help as a downpayment on a future reciprocal good turn — mentally banking a useful IOU.

Source: Manila Times December 17, 2023 22:01 UTC