“Like it or not you’re a negotiator, so you’d better be good at it…”

 

This core principle of LCMSA puzzled me two years ago and the more I think about it, the more I truly believe it. Negotiations take place all around us: in professional situations such as business meetings, settlement discussions, hostage negotiations but also in private situations like family discussions, deciding where to go on vacation with friends or where to eat with a significant other. We are negotiating daily in most of our interactions with others. 

 

I have found the skills I learned and practised during the Negotiation Track of great help to improve the quality of those daily interactions, not only for myself but also for the people I interact with. I learned that negotiation is about more than walking away with the biggest part of the pie, it is foremost about listening to your conversational partner, establishing common ground, creating value, and making sure you create a deal both parties can see themselves honouring. 

 

This debt I owe to LCMSA has motivated me to expand the reach of these teachings to other students so that they too can enjoy better and more successful interactions.