I have come across some incredibly arrogant know-it-alls in my career, a bunch of whom had the intellectual chops to back it up, but others who were just posers. Either way, their attitude turned off everyone around them and limited their opportunities and choices in...
The letters “O.K.” are the two most expensive letters in the alphabet. Why? Because this is how many respond when offered a job and don’t even bother to counter. Of course, this is often a mistake, as described in last week’s column (the first three major mistakes...
I didn’t even think about asking for more,” she told her friend who had recently negotiated a higher salary when offered a job. “I will definitely ask next time.” Fortunately for her, she’s a rising college senior and will almost certainly have the opportunity soon to...
I am shocked that music legend Prince died in 2016 without a will. This resulted in legal and administrative expenses of over $85 million out of an estate valued at around $156 million and a massive tax bill. Wow! And while I don’t feel badly for his heirs – who still...
“We think our oldest wants the house but not cash. He has no kids and probably doesn’t want our lake cabin. But we’re not sure. Our daughter wants the house and cabin plus our jewelry, largely for her daughters. She probably wants cash for her kids’ college, too. Of...
My two kids occasionally try the divide-and-conquer strategy on my wife and me. First my daughter asks my wife for something (and it’s usually our daughter now as our son is in college). If she gets a lukewarm response or a no, she will then approach me and ask for...
I sat down with our general contractor and went through our house remodel agreement term by term to ensure he understood everything. It was a balanced agreement given our relationship. He had completed several smaller projects for us previously but those were...
I apologize to anyone who doesn’t like Mel Brooks (is this even possible?) – but I found his negotiation stories irresistible. And we can all learn invaluable lessons from them. So here are 3 more in Part 3, the final chapter (I promise). For those who missed Part 1...
I know Mel Brooks did not make a History of the World, Part 2 – but I found too many great stories illustrating negotiation lessons to leave his own history of negotiations at Part 1. So here are three more from his autobiography All About Me! My Remarkable Life in...
