Apr 10, 2021

Don’t compromise

The only thing worse than not getting a deal done is getting a bad deal.

Compromise seems like a good idea because it seems like it would result in a win-win outcome. However, compromised outcomes are usually never ideal for either party. At best, both sides are not completely satisfied and at worse, someone’s getting swindled.

The reason we compromise is because it is easier than doing the hard work of negotiating. But if you approach negotiations in an empathetic and trust-building way, you shouldn’t have to split the difference.

A general rule of thumb for great negotiators is to “never split the difference”.