Our kids tend to be rule-followers, which is perhaps not surprising as my wife and I tend to be more rule-breakers. Not big ones, but I do have a lead foot. I was reminded of this recently when I rewatched the classic movie To Kill a Mockingbird with Gregory Peck,...
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...
I met my wife over 20 years ago when one of my former law students introduced us. When I learned she grew up in Wisconsin, I immediately felt a connection. After all, I grew up in Minnesota and sensed a “Midwestern” thing going on. She felt it, too. This feeling was...
I recently attended a conference where an expert started his presentation with a photo of a toilet up on the big screen. What?!? Of course, it grabbed our attention. But it also made a serious point, as the speaker – Chris Graham – noted in “the part about toilets”...
Years ago, I negotiated a business partnership involving my then negotiation planning and management software company, which helped individuals negotiate strategically based on the experts’ research. While that partnership did not succeed to the level we had...
Sports superstars are a different breed. Many have been treated like prima donnas since they first exhibited otherworldly physical skills in their chosen sport, some as early as 10 years old. As a result, they often have different interests than the rest of us. This...
Near the end of the negotiation, basketball legend Michael Jordan’s mom drops a dealbreaker on Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro when she says we are good “except for one minor provision – Michael gets a percentage of the revenue of each shoe sold.” This move, from the...
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...
In 1979, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware was heading to Moscow when the Senate leadership asked him to meet with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko and negotiate an amendment to the SALT II arms-control treaty. Biden was told the Senate would not ratify the treaty...
