Wisdom is the prime thing

> python
Python 2.5.1 (r251:54863, Jan 10 2008, 17:45:16) 
[GCC 4.2.2] on linux2
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The Zen of Python, by Tim Peters

Beautiful is better than ugly.
Explicit is better than implicit.
Simple is better than complex.
Complex is better than complicated.
Flat is better than nested.
Sparse is better than dense.
Readability counts.
Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
Although practicality beats purity.
Errors should never pass silently.
Unless explicitly silenced.
In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.
There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.
Although that way may not be obvious at first unless you're Dutch.
Now is better than never.
Although never is often better than *right* now.
If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.
If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.
Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!

“Getting to Yes - Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In” — truly a masterpiece.

The book is based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation Project. The book explains and demonstrates techniques that are applicable to a wide range of human interactions: from negotiating rent to arbitrating disputes to negotiating with terrorists in hostage situations. The scope of the book is really that wide, and the examples given help to widen your horizons to look for applications in your every-day life.

A key of the book is that “positional bargaining” — what we usually associate with the term “negotiating” — is problematic and leads to suboptimal solutions. They use the illustration of two children fighting over the orange and eventually deciding to split it. One child throws away the peel because he only wanted to eat the orange. One child keeps the peel and throws everything else away because he only needed the peel for cooking. Taking hard positions and entrenching yourself in them only leads to more difficulties and solutions that do not fully meet all needs of both parties in the most convenient way.

Their solution? Principle-based negotiation. The goal being to efficiently reach an amicable agreement.

The cornerstone of the book is the four basic tenets of principle-based negotiation:

1. Separate the people from the problem. Confront head-on your relationship with the people you are negotiating with. Keep those issues in the forefront of your mind at all time. What are their motivations? How do your proposals affect their view of themselves or others’ view of them? Are you really listening to them in such a way that they feel listened to? What are their perceptions of the situation?

2. Focus on interests, not on positions. Be hard on the issues but soft on the people. Lay out clearly what your interests are and help the other side to do the same. Don’t allow yourself to get entrenched in a position, and try to prevent the other side from doing the same.

3. Invent options for mutual gain. Brainstorm in such a way that all sides know there is no commitment. Frame your sentences and proposals in such a way that it encourages participation. Without participation there is no commitment. Be firmly convinced that there is a solution available that fairly and honestly meets the underlying needs of everyone involved, and work hard to find it.

4. Insist on using objective criteria. Instead of getting into altercations over whose criteria for “fair” should be used, insist on using external criteria from an unbiased party. “Never yield to pressure, only principle.”

What if the other side is more powerful?

Know your BATNA — best alternative to a negotiated agreement — before you walk in to any negotiation. Know exactly what you will do if the negotiation fails to provide a fair solution that meets your needs. When you know what your BATNA is, that will either give you more leverage to influence the other side, or it will help you work harder and find more options for yourself.

What if they won’t play?

This section of the book was my favorite. Some of the approaches they use are brilliant and can be used in so many situations in real life. They take a real-life negotiation with an adjuster in an insurance claim, and analyze the conversation to show how the claimant uses principle-based negotiation skills to effect an amicable solution. After each sentence, they break down exactly why his approach worked and what the motivation was. Very instructive.

What if they use dirty tricks?

Again, a power-packed chapter. Some tactics, such as “good-guy-bad guy-routine”, I had never even labeled the way they do — negotiation sabotage. They show exactly how a number of situations could be dealt with. They even discuss things like the other side puts you in a chair where you are looking into the sun, or spilling coffee on your clothes. So many things I’ve never even thought of. In all cases, they come back to the same basic idea: address the negotiation issue as a substantive issue as part of your negotiation. Address it head-on and in the same principle-based way you are negotiating everything else.

In conclusion?

This is a tremendous book, and it’s no wonder it was a national bestseller. The Harvard Negotiation Project has spawned some other tremendous books as well, which I hope to be examining as time permits. This book is imminently practical, providing the theoretical basis, and then using numerous dialogues to exemplify the principles under consideration.

Well written and a real treat to read.

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