We all deserve to get our interests met. Period. If you don't believe this, then don't bother to read any further. Everyone needs this mindset to bargain tough with integrity. You never need to outsmart, perform a balloon dance, or in any other way belittle either yourself or the other party to get the best deal for yourself. (more…)

When talking with groups, I often ask people to share their thoughts on key characteristics of The Leadership Gift. I'm always bemused when someone responds, "The ability to compromise." Why? Because the most responsible people I know are lightning fast to consider tradeoffs, yet they are very slow to compromise. The unfortunate truth is that most of us have been so programmed...

Are you a "distributive" negotiator or an "integrative" negotiator? Most people have adopted one style or the other, although there are those with enough behavioral flexibility to choose between styles, depending on circumstances. See which style better describes your approach. A distributive negotiator assumes the following: (more…)