Ron told me to put up my dukes. So I did. And we went at it. It was in our basement. Ron, my older brother, was 11. I was 10. My dad, a former Golden Gloves boxer, had taught us to box so we could defend ourselves. Ron and I occasionally fought over the usual sibling...
I was surprised. Instead of working with me to resolve the challenge we unexpectedly faced, he immediately said he would see me in court and didn’t express any regret for partially contributing to the situation. His seemingly knee-jerk reaction was not a smart...
Do nice negotiators tend to finish last — or “lose” more often — in their negotiations? And if so, how can they protect themselves from this tendency and be more effective? This is a central dilemma for many nice negotiators. When faced with an...
A client recently asked for advice concerning his negotiation to collect a $17,000 bill from a customer. The relationship had deteriorated in part due to a major personality conflict, and his customer – after agreeing to pay the balance – changed her mind and sent...
“How should my wife deal with bullies,” this seminar attendee asked me. She works for a large software company, he said, and helps implement their systems at customers’ offices. And their customers regularly try to bully her into providing a lot more services and...
Newt Gingrich has repeatedly called Mitt Romney a liar. And Romney has incessantly focused on Gingrich’s personal ethics and effectively accused Gingrich of being a sore loser. And remember the 2008 primary battle between President Barack Obama and now Secretary of...
“I can’t believe they want to negotiate every single point,” my client said. “It makes no sense. These are standard terms, and many of their changes represent no functional difference.” What can you do when facing someone who wants to negotiate everything – even...
I have been blessed over the years with many negotiation counterparts who have exhibited tremendous skills. While some sat across the table as adversaries, some at the table as potential partners, and some behind the table working through agents, the best brought to...
It’s been a tough month. I lost a close friend to a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. My 85-year-old dad went in for emergency surgery (which was successful). And I just saw a cousin who last year lost his 34-year-old son (my cousin, too, obviously) in a tragic...
