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The better. 
Business Analysis. 

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Institute. 
Presence the Better Business 

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Analysis podcast. 
With Benjamin Walsh and I'm your

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host. 
Benjamin Walsh, we are going to 

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continue on our BA Bytes. 
Series because they're short, 

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they're. 
Punchy and they get straight to.

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The point and they also. 
Are able to be done. 

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In a hectic. 
Week so. 

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Today we're going to be talking 
about Hidden Gems 10. 

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Underrated skills. 
Every better. 

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Business Analyst should master. 
That's right, I have compiled. 

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10 skills. 
That I. 

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Don't think any BA. 
Has. 

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I think these are 10 skills that
make. 

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You better than the average BA. 
So let's work. 

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Through them one to 10 #1. 
Is so. 

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Important. 
It's managing up. 

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You need to influence 
stakeholders. 

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And higher ups. 
Without. 

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Formal authority. 
OK, so you may not have an A. 

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Reporting line to these people. 
But going. 

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Through your. 
Team leader isn't. 

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The right. 
Way of doing it your team leader

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is. 
Sometimes a people lead. 

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As well. 
So you've got your project 

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manager, but. 
But really, you should. 

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Be presenting as ABA. 
Back to POS. 

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Or sponsors. 
Of projects. 

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OK, you need to be able to 
present your ideas in a way 

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that. 
Aligns. 

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With leadership. 
Priorities. 

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Objectives. 
Benefits. 

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Realization the business. 
Case. 

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And you need to balance upward 
communication with the needs of 

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the team. 
OK, this is. 

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Really really important. 
I think this probably is my 

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number one. 
Strength and. 

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I think this. 
Is the area where I see a lot of

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BAS. 
Not doing well really. 

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Well, in and I don't expect a. 
Junior BA. 

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To do this, OK, this is a senior
BA skill, but if you're a 

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junior, get good at this now #2.
Great presentation skills and 

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look, this is what everyone's 
saying. 

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I'm going to be. 
More. 

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Specific here. 
You need to create compelling 

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data. 
Driven presentations. 

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That resonate. 
With a diverse audience. 

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OK, stakeholder. 
Person on the street. 

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The minister, you know, if 
you're working. 

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For a government department. 
You need. 

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To use. 
Storytelling. 

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You need to use the techniques 
involved in storytelling. 

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To engage with stakeholders, 
persuade. 

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Them you need to know. 
How to leverage visuals? 

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And infographics like a marketer
would. 

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To simplify complex problems. 
I I think the trick. 

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Here is to play the marketer 
your job. 

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Is to play the marketer. 
That's one of the roles of BA. 

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#3 is team connector. 
Your job is to. 

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Bridge gaps between departments 
and teams. 

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And facilitate. 
Communication it's around 

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building networks within the 
organization to ensure. 

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That all voices are heard 
doesn't matter where they. 

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Are in the hierarchy and it's. 
Your. 

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Role is really like. 
Acting as the glue. 

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That keeps cross functional 
teams aligned. 

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This is so true. 
The glue a lot of times be as 

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described as the glue. 
Between teams. #4 which relates 

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to #3. 
Is peacekeeper. 

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You need to mediate conflicts 
between stakeholders. 

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Because there's. 
Usually complex issues here. 

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And they might have competing 
interests and and sometimes the 

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answer. 
Is not. 

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Black and white, it's usually 
grey in our profession. 

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You need to facilitate, 
compromise and foster a. 

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Positive. 
Team environment, that's. 

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Part of your job. 
You are the good cop. 

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And usually the PM is the bad. 
Cop now the roles we. 

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Play so you need. 
To help with. 

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That team culture and you need 
to maintain focus. 

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On the project goals. 
While addressing personal and 

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team dynamics, you could say 
this is team leader but in a. 

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Project sense. 
You've only really got the. 

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Project manager and they're kind
of managing up and doing risk 

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management and they're really. 
Focused on the. 

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The deliverable and they don't 
understand some. 

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Of the. 
Dynamics BS generally find that.

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Play that place. 
Or change manager if you've got 

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that on the team. #5 is treating
the project like. 

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Your. 
Own baby. 

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I do. 
This and this can be detrimental

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to your mental health and your 
work life balance, but I'm going

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to throw it in there. 
You should take. 

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Full ownership and 
accountability. 

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For project success. 
In your heart, you should care 

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about it. 
Good BAS care about projects, 

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OK. 
Maybe they. 

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Those good BAS are also. 
Crazy in their head and don't 

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have a good work. 
Life balance, but I would say 

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and from a skills point of. 
View not a well-being point of 

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view. 
Those BA's who do treat their 

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projects like a baby are. 
The ones who I think are best. 

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You need. 
To be deeply. 

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Invested in every phase of the 
project from inception all the 

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way to completion. 
And you need you. 

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You start worrying about every 
detail that needs to be attended

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to. 
You nurture. 

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It like a baby. 
You know this has caused me. 

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Lots of hours of non. 
Sleep. 

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And sometimes I give too much. 
But generally, BA's who are 

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better treat their projects like
a. 

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Baby number. 6 Strategic focus. 
And strategic. 

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Foresight, OK. 
So it's around anticipating. 

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Future blow roadblocks. 
And preparing contingency plans.

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So if this happens, we should do
this. 

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Like risk mitigation for 
example, aligning the project 

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outcomes with long term 
business. 

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Goals that. 
Is a. 100% your job. 

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B. 
The BMBA is that or. 

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Otherwise, you're just. 
An analyst and you should really

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understand market trends with 
the impact on your project and 

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your organization. 
Again, strong. 

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Capital B. 
If you're a business analyst and

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you are locked into that. 
Organization. #7 is treating 

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your in customers with. 
High levels of empathy, or 

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empathy for end users is another
way of saying that. 

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You need to. 
Advocate for the needs and pain 

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points of end users or customers
during development. 

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That is totally your job. 
You need to help. 

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Design solutions. 
And quotations that are user 

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centric. 
Customer centric and. 

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Intuitive they. 
Should be easy to use. 

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And you may be involved in 
conducting user research to 

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inform. 
Decisions. 

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If you're in a customer centric 
product or an environment. 

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Your product will either succeed
or not based on customer 

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feedback. 
OK, but if you're just internal?

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That. 
Still matters what end users 

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think about your project, and 
your job is to advocate for 

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them. #8. 
Is adaptability. 

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That's right. 
This is probably what we've 

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taken. 
From Agile. 

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In terms of the culture side. 
Quickly adapting and adjusting. 

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Project. 
Scope, resources, and goals. 

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Remaining flexible and open to. 
New ideas and methodologies, 

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regardless of what they are, and
never. 

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Gaining uncertainty? 
With. 

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Confidence and poise. 
OK. 

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So you should be adaptive, you 
should know about that and 

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that's. 
Really. 

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Where? 
The adaptability agile culture. 

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We should. 
We should. 

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Definitely remain. 
And so you need to be adaptable.

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#9 is data-driven decision 
making. 

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Use your analytics ability DA. 
Capital A. 

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Leverage analytics. 
And metrics to. 

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Guide project. 
Decisions you. 

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Should have. 
Facts behind your decisions. 

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You can translate data into 
actionable insights. 

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For stakeholders. 
You can ensure. 

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That every. 
Business decision. 

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Is backed by solid evidence. 
And I would say this area #9. 

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Can be done. 
A lot. 

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Easier with AI now. 
OK, so you should utilize big 

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data and AI to. 
Strengthen #9 which is 

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data-driven decision making, and
finally #10 is. 

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Holistic. 
Holistic. 

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Problem solving. 
Look beyond the immediate issues

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to understand. 
The root causes the five whys. 

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You're not an incident manager, 
you're a problem manager. 

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You should. 
Be looking at integrating 

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multiple perspectives to 
developing comprehensive 

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solutions in a road map kind of 
way and you should be addressing

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both technical and business 
challenges with a. 

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Balanced. 
Approach. 

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Look, the best projects, the 
hardest projects, the ones where

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you've got good conflict high. 
Performing teams. 

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As where there is. 
Helpful tension. 

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Between the BA and the architect
and you're. 

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Making compromises. 
And then as a result. 

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You get. 
You're balancing. 

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All those things like like the 
scars of justice, if you like to

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have the best outcome that you 
can possibly do with the 

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permutations. 
And the inputs and outputs and 

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resources. 
You have got OK there. 10 gems 

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there. 
Hidden gems. 

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That better BAS have I'll. 
See you. 

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Next week.