All posts in the ‘ Self Awareness Tools ’ Category

An important reminder: no one does this negotiation stuff perfectly all the time.  No one.

The point of this blog is not that you do everything perfectly every time and completely free yourself from the realities of the world.   It is, instead, to give you something else to consider.

I operate off of the belief that knowing something is better than hacking away on your … Read More

There is a reason he got away, you know.  And it wasn’t just dumb luck.… Read More

Have you ever wrapped up a big conversation, gotten up to clear your head, and realized you forgot to discuss one of the most important things you wanted to talk about?

Have you ever said something stupid during a stressful interaction that you wish you could take back later?

How about regretting that you agreed to a particular term in a negotiation and your only … Read More

Criticism.

It’s just plain no fun when someone tells you they think you did a crappy job on something.

Criticism that isn’t invited or sought out can feel invasive and undeserved, or like someone just discovered your dirty secret.  It can leave you feeling off kilter and exposed.

And while criticism can be helpful and give you a perspective on something that turns out to … Read More

It is true.  I am.

And, like most people, sometimes I have a hard time embracing that thought.

That’s a perfectly fine neurosis when I’m walking the dog or doing the dishes, but if I’m sitting around thinking, “I’m OK-ish,” when I’m negotiating, that’s a problem.… Read More

I’m a big believer in finding mentors that work in your field and studying what they do.  You can read theory until your head explodes, but if you don’t see how something is done, and that it can be done, the lesson is less likely to stick.  Even worse, you’re less likely to use the lesson well.

Hands down one of the best people I’ve … Read More

As a society we’re sort of obsessed with losing things.

Losing your mind; your virginity; control; face; weight; your religion; your grip; your hair; touch; ground.

Generally speaking, we associate “losing” with things that are bad (OK, except maybe the virginity thing).

So it shouldn’t come as a shock that psychologically humans hate losing more than we like winning.  A lot more.

Radio Lab did … Read More

Our friends at the Harvard Negotiation Law Review (ok, fine, we don’t actually know them), have a fine little piece up about communicating using technology and the challenges it can present.  The intended audience is not of the 2.0 generation and may have recently discovered e-mail, but the nuggets of wisdom in the post are valuable.  Especially for freelancers.

It’s easy to rely on email … Read More