I was surprised when this agent said he was not interested in listing my mom’s condo after he learned I was meeting other agents. He said he was pretty busy and the condo’s value – and his commission based on it – was just not worth his time. I told him I understood....
I recently interviewed several real estate agents in person to determine the best fit to help sell my mom’s condo. Since negotiation comprises one of real estate agents’ core competencies and our agent would be our front-line negotiator with buyers and their agents, I...
We had a round table growing up where the six of us sat for family dinners. Four kids plus our parents. And I remember discussing this years ago with my parents, who said they liked the round table as it created an environment in which each of us felt that we could be...
I recently had knee replacement surgery, and the post-surgery rehabilitation phase has been challenging. Everything went well surgery-wise, but the rehab – to be successful long-term – has required a surprising level of perseverance, dedication, discipline, and...
“It’s your tone,” my wife said to me after I apologized. What did she mean? She didn’t feel like I meant it when I said it. “Ugh,” I thought to myself. I did mean it, but it doesn’t really help much if she doesn’t believe it. What’s the problem here? We’ve all...
I am not a huge fan of Disneyland and Disneyworld. My wife and kids love them, but I hate long lines and just don’t love rollercoasters and its other rides (largely because I don’t feel great after and it takes me a while to recover). But I do admire how Disney runs...
Shortly after being named Disney’s CEO, Bob Iger negotiated peace with then disgruntled and former board member Roy Disney (Walt’s nephew). Roy had just sued Disney over Iger’s selection and it easily could have derailed Iger’s effort to lead Disney in a bold new...
Paul Eckstein, one of the best litigators I know, told me years ago that his firm would sometimes assign a separate lawyer to try to negotiate and settle a big case in addition to its trial counsel. They would have a “Department of War and a Department of Peace,” he...
The personal threats, vitriol and escalatory social media tantrums flying between former bromance buddies Elon Musk and Donald Trump last week – and their apparent truce this week – got me thinking about how friends should effectively communicate and negotiate with...
