On Conflict, feat. Stan Christiansen | Traces, Appendix 25

A conversation with Stan Christiansen about negotiation, difficult conversations, conflict resolution, relationship management, ethics, questioning our assumptions and more.

Find me at [email protected]

About the Guest:
Stan Christiansen teaches Negotiation at Stanford. He was the Co-Founder and Managing Director for Arbor Advisors (arboradvisors.com). He started his career working in corporate finance on Wall Street, then worked as a negotiation advisor with the consulting arm of The Harvard Negotiation Project. In this capacity he traveled to over 75 countries and worked with corporations and governments, negotiating transactions and mediating conflicts. Before co-founding Arbor, Stan was the General Manager of a Linux-based software company. He graduated from Brigham Young University and has an MBA from The Harvard Business School. He is a former Kellogg Fellow and a member of The Council on Foreign Relations. He is currently on the faculty of The Stanford School of Engineering where he teaches Negotiation and Sustainable Development.


References:
- Roger Fisher's Getting to Yes (book): https://amzn.to/3UIYnd0
- Yascha Mounk's The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time (book): https://amzn.to/49fieVM
- Dan Goleman's Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (book): https://amzn.to/3wihNv9
- Doug Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen's Diffilcult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most (book): https://amzn.to/3SY3Ye9
- Michael Sandel's Justice (lecture series): Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? Episode 01 "THE MORAL SIDE OF MURDER"
- Michael Sandel's The Tyranny of Merit: What's Become of the Common Good? (book): https://amzn.to/3SXXSKK
- Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (book): https://amzn.to/49gUr7F
- Jonathan Sacks' Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times (book): https://amzn.to/48f32GJ
- Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discouse in the Age of Show Business (book): https://amzn.to/48f32GJ
- Johann Hari's Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention -- and How to Think Deeply Again (book): https://amzn.to/48f32GJ

Timestamps:
00:20 Introduction and Setting the Stage
00:28 The World of Conflict and the Role of Negotiation
00:52 Stan Christensen's Journey into Negotiation
02:22 The Impact of Negotiation Skills in Various Life Aspects
03:34 Understanding the Concept of Negotiation
04:06 The Role of Negotiation in Corporate Life
05:07 Why People Struggle with Negotiation
06:44 Redefining Negotiation and Overcoming Zero-Sum Games
08:02 The Importance of Education in Changing Negotiation Mindsets
08:24 The Power of Objective Criteria in Negotiation
11:05 The Role of BATNA in Negotiation
18:04 The Ethics of Negotiation
23:12 The Complexity of Real-World Negotiations
30:36 The Danger of Oversimplifying and Anchoring in Negotiations
38:28 Understanding Identities and Assumptions in Negotiations
43:12 The Power of Simple, Straightforward Principles
43:31 Understanding Complimentary Interests in Negotiation
44:58 Separating People from Problems
46:03 The Importance of Relationship Building
46:40 The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Negotiation
47:54 The Impact of Popularized Concepts
48:08 The Power of Difficult Conversations
56:26 The Role of Morality in Negotiation
57:28 The Importance of Listening and Empathy
01:10:25 The Importance of Diverse Perspectives
01:17:48 The Power of Apology in Conflict Resolution