I recently spent some time with a giant in the negotiation and persuasion field, social psychologist and bestselling author of Influence: Science and Practice, Professor Robert Cialdini. Several of his timeless and research-based proven principles underlie crucial...
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...
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 only have about 30 minutes to strategically plan for this negotiation. And I know I should spend more time planning, but I have a ton going on right now. What should I do?” I get this question a lot. We are all busy and time-pressed. Given this, here is my...
Our son recently interviewed for internships this summer (he’s a Northwestern University junior double majoring in computer science and psychology). It got me thinking about one of the most consequential negotiations of our lives, our first real career opportunity....
Here is my annual list of lessons learned and links to the columns that more extensively address these strategies. Don’t forget to implement these in 2026! How you communicate and the tone of your voice – your pitch, inflection, pace, volume, emphasis and general...
We’ve all heard that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Originally penned by Scottish poet Robert Burns in his 1785 poem “To a Mouse,” this phrase recognizes that even the most carefully developed plans can end in disaster if and when the unexpected...
