Location: The center of the negotiation universe.
Date: Yesterday, today, and, one hopes, not tomorrow.
The lesson: One of psychology.
It happens time after time. You’re in the midst of negotiations for this deal or that.
You know that you should push for the points that are crucial. But then, you pull yourself back like a dog on a leash.
The problem, which can hardly ever be seen from inside the situational loop, is that you want, even need, to be liked. “Am I pushing too hard?” “What will they think?”
As a result, your inclination is to please when it should be to assert and advocate for your position. You give the other side more time when you know that time should be used as a tool against them. You give them the benefit of the doubt when they’ve never given it to you. You can’t do the deal for less than X but you do it anyway.
There are multiple “treatments” available for this condition but the fastest, easiest, and, yes, cheapest, is to remove yourself from the direct negotiating loop.
