Nearly every business school student or professional takes a negotiations course in their lifetime. But I can’t remember the first thing from my negotiation class today and indeed I “lost” in most of the in-class negotiation exercises. So when I was hired as VP of Infrastructure at SunGard I was apprehensive to get a job where my primary function was negotiating real estate and energy supply deals.
Thankfully I was fortunate to have a great teacher in David Gordon, SunGard’s 15+ year real estate broker. David taught me several principles, often saliently, about how to negotiate effectively. I remember these better than any class and I hope they can be of assistance to you as well.