A few years ago, I went to a three-day workshop on the strategies of negotiation. On the first day, I was told that in life and in business, you receive not what you deserve, but what you negotiate.
After learning some ways of being crafty, almost deceptive, the class split up in pairs and were given business scenarios. Our acumen was filmed to be evaluated and judged by the instructor and fellow students.
I couldn’t get it out of my darn head that I wanted to be more fair than clever. Why not have both sides do well?
There were sixteen in our class of high-charging business leaders. I was the eldest by at least a decade. In the final hour of the workshop, we each received our class rank. I came in sixteenth.
Flying home, I was kind of proud of myself.