#16 – Being Civil When It Feels Like War: What Abe Lincoln Taught Us About Standing on Principle

Can you ever compromise your positions in a negotiation? Should you compromise them? Will you lose power if you do? This week on S4N, Gene explores the difference between principles and positions through the lens of the US Civil War and the resulting negotiations between the Union and the Confederacy. Learn how to compromise on a position without weakening your negotiating power, explore the dangers of using intermediaries to communicate negotiation positions, and pinpoint why you can't ignore the elephant in the room - even when the topic is likely to polarize it. Plus, talk about how to find common ground and maintain personal connection even when professional agreement can't be reached, and learn the #1 failure of CEOs. Remember: negotiation is life. Mentioned in this episode:  Lincoln, the 2012 film directed by Steven Spielberg "Our One Common Country: Abraham Lincoln And The Hampton Roads Peace Conference Of 1865" by James Conroy Your independent book store recommendation: Sleepy Dog Books, Mt. Pleasant, MI