Negotiation mind-set: partners, not opponents
Confidence, trust and avoiding greed shape the outcome of a negotiation before any tactic is used.
- By
- Peter Sicher
- Originally published
- April 14, 2020
- Adapted
- October 13, 2026
- Source
- Read the original
Peter Sicher opens this 2020 piece with an image from boxing. An opponent who enters the ring hunched and desperate invites a very different reaction from one who walks in confident and composed. Negotiation, he argues, works in a similar way: your mind-set is visible and it affects the result.
Key takeaways
Confidence changes your position
If you start to believe the other side holds the advantage, that belief shows in your behaviour and weakens your position. In effect, you hand them the advantage.
Mistrust and fear kill deals
Peter names a lack of trust between partners as one of the two main deal-killers. Negotiations often fail when mistrust and fear of losing the deal set in.
Greed is the other deal-killer
Greed often grows out of poor preparation or unclear expectations. It puts too much pressure on the other party and creates resistance.
Assume positive intent
Starting from the conviction that the other party also wants a mutually beneficial agreement changes how you think, act and trade.
Stay composed with difficult negotiators
With especially difficult counterparts, it matters even more to stay calm and confident and not give way to fear or domination. Aim for a result both sides are still happy with after signing.
A negotiation is not a battle. Which mind-set do you bring into your next one?
Originally published in April 2020. Condensed adaptation; the original is linked below.