1: Imagine we are standing in line at the grocery store.
“Scientists Discover 4,000-Year-Old Television Set in Egyptian Pyramid,” reads the tabloid headline on the magazine rack beside us.
We shake our heads and smile. Seriously? We question the reliability of the story. Not our belief as to when television was first invented.
“When we think we know something to be objective truth, our immediate reaction to news indicating the … continue reading
1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
One of my goals for the year is to be intentional about building trust to deepen my relationships with the people I love and care about. My wife. Our … continue reading
1: For six months, the prospect dragged his feet. But now there’s been a major system collapse, and he is under tremendous pressure to fix it.
“Be here by Friday morning, or the deal is off,” he tells Ryan.
Ryan buys an airline ticket for the next day, Thursday. But when he arrives at the Baltimore airport, he discovers there’s been a freak lightning storm. The airport will be closed … continue reading
1: The trial is beginning. The defense attorney rises to give their opening statement.
They begin by mentioning everything their client is accused of. They list out all the weaknesses of their case.
Why?
The technique is called “taking the sting out,” Chris Voss writes in Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It.
And it applies to more than just the court of law.
To prepare … continue reading
1: The experienced fundraiser was perplexed.
A fundraising executive with the Girl Scouts, she had developed a successful system to connect with donors. “She’d invite a potential donor to her office, serve a few Girl Scouts cookies, walk her through an album of heartwarming snapshots and handwritten letters from projects that matched the [donor’s] profile, and then collect a check when the donor’s eyes lit up,” Chris Voss writes in … continue reading
1: It’s not whom we think, Chris Voss writes his terrific book Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It.
His answer? Oprah Winfrey.
“Her daily television show was a case study of a master practitioner at work,” he writes.
“On a stage face-to-face with someone she has never met, in front of a crowded studio of hundreds, with millions more watching from home, … continue reading
What is the FBI’s “most potent” negotiating tool?
1: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations. On Friday, I share something about myself or what we are working on at PCI.
In recent weeks, we’ve been exploring ideas and best practices to become a better negotiator, from the FBI’s lead hostage negotiator, … continue reading
1: What do Marcus Aurelius, Cato, Seneca, Thomas Jefferson, James Stockdale, Epictetus, Theodore Roosevelt, and George Washington have in common?
“They explicitly practiced and studied Stoicism,” writes Ryan Holiday in The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph. “We know this for a fact.”
What exactly does it mean to be a stoic?
Philosopher and writer Nassim Nicholas Taleb defines a Stoic as someone … continue reading
1: “Late in his reign, sick and possibly near death, [the Roman Emperor] Marcus Aurelius received surprising news,” writes Ryan Holiday in The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph.
“His old friend and most trusted general, Avidius Cassius, had rebelled in Syria,” Ryan notes. “Having heard the emperor was vulnerable or possibly dead, the ambitious general had decided to declare himself Caesar and … continue reading
1: “I have bad news,” the CEO tells the packed conference room. “The project has failed spectacularly. Tell me what went wrong?”
“What?!?” someone says. “But the project hasn’t started yet.”
“Exactly,” the CEO responds. “Our job is to identify everything that could go wrong before the project starts. And then take action now so that those things never happen.”
This exercise is called a premortem. It was designed by … continue reading
