My son starts college at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois next week. Time flies! As the son of an author, he recently bought a book for my wife and me entitled “The Naked Roommate [For Parents Only]: A Parent’s Guide to the New College Experience.” I...
“Usury” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the lending of money at exorbitant interest rates” and can also be used “in a moral sense,” according to Wikipedia, as “condemning taking advantage of others’ misfortunes.” We as a society have even passed laws prohibiting...
Our AC unit recently went on the blink with the temperature in Scottsdale around 115. Yikes! We needed to get it fixed or replaced ASAP. Talk about weak leverage! Fortunately, we found an AC guy willing to come out within a day and fix it. I’ve never been happier to...
Here’s my annual list of lessons learned and a reminder to put these strategies into practice in 2023. You won’t get better results if you don’t implement them. Each also has a link to my column with more detail. Negotiating with the elderly requires specialized...
I wrote a column in 2011 entitled “In Person Talks Often Best Option” for The Arizona Republic. Given the timeliness of this subject as many CFOs and others contemplate the money saved with employees Zooming from home and staying away from airports, I thought I would...
My Dad is 91 years old and my Mom is 84. Both are in generally good health, and the years have been pretty kind to them. But their mental and physical conditions have inevitably changed. One significant change – especially as we become more elderly and/or infirm...
Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007 brought his Labrador to a negotiation at his Black Sea residence with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had a well-known deathly fear of dogs since childhood. In a photo taken at the time, Putin is seen smirking while Merkel...
A recent CNN article about managing negative emotions in the workplace points out that in tough times, keeping your cool is essential. The same typically holds true in the negotiation context. Tempers often flair in high-stakes negotiations and this can lead to an...
At stake was $150 million. AT&T was pitching its new telecommunications system. Boeing wanted to purchase it. Early in the negotiation AT&T described its reliable service, its prompt response rate and the speed with which it would fix possible problems. Boeing...
