We need not adapt unethical tactics because it's not about winning or losing, it's about substance and achieving an objective. In our approach to both our personal and professional lives, everybody has their own unique style when dealing with problem-solving, dispute resolutions, or negotiations. Our individual personalities were formed early in our childhood, tempered and sculpted by a lifetime from coping with the raw experience of life. Every situation that we face acts as a teaching aid. We learn to adapt our own unique style in tackling any future problems that lurk down the road of life. Our individualistic style defines how we will react in our everyday interactions with our fellow human beings. Whether it be the idiot who cuts you off in a rush hour, barely grazing your brand- new auto; how you cope with the insensitive angry co-worker, or how you negotiate a business venture. We all react and cope with these scenarios differently. We confront aggressively; sigh in stoic resignation; abjectly surrender to the moment; or impersonally rationalize the moment and everything in between. Generally, we usually undergo a dual process of emotionally reacting, while applying rational thinking in some context, during our more challenging moments. Mostly, we tend to react emotionally and viscerally, first with our gut and heart, and then apply the reasoning process later. We cannot escape the ancient genetics of our animal nature, which gave us the instincts to deal with our past, as we slogged our way out of the primal mud hole. Sometimes, it's difficult to separate our basic animal instincts, such as 'fight or flight', and our higher abilities to think and rationalize. There's a bit of 'Jekyll and Hyde' within all of us. Yet, this is the complex mixture that we bring to the table as negotiators. Above all else, we should always make every effort to leave our emotional baggage outside the door. The fact is that we don't, and to some extent can't. It is virtually impossible, as an emotional rational thinking individual, to simply completely disassociate ourselves from our nature. A negotiator must learn to recognize their responses and reactions as they relate to any situation, and with the people we interact, at any given moment. A person's negotiating style can vary, from anywhere between the friendly easy-going style, to that of a loud bellicose and aggressive style. Some people like a chameleon changes colors, can alter their negotiating styles to match their opponents style. Yet, many others remain rigidly stuck in the mold of their own creation. Let's face it, many studies support the findings that when two bellicose negotiators square off like a couple of broken-nosed pugilists, they rarely come out of the room with an agreement, let alone a very good one. On the other side of the coin, it doesn't mean a negotiator is a soft touch because he uses the soft approach. He can still be as hard-nosed just as easily as a blustery, obnoxious negotiator. Pleasantly smiling, the entire time he hammers out a hard negotiated but beneficial agreement for his company or constituents. Many business people and some negotiators liken business to conducting a 'war' or a 'battle of wills'. Others prefer to view it as a game, such as chess or poker. There have been numerous books and papers written, to support both of these analogous comparisons or metaphors, within which we conduct our negotiation frameworks. Most professional experts on the subject, suggest we need to acknowledge the emotional components of the negotiation. Those that spring from not only ourselves, but more importantly, from our counterparts as well. Secondly, we must always remember to apply rational thought to our problem solving, in reaching an agreement. Or, we might simply decide whether it is more prudent to walk away when our interests and positions are simply too incompatible. The point is, we don't have to surrender our own unique style to accommodate the style of our counterpart. We don't have to adapt unethical tactics to score a victory.

It's not about winning or losing, it's about substance and achieving an objective. If the other side is using unsavory gambits, these can be countered. Should our counterpart attack us on a personal basis, or is insulting, we should let these negative or demeaning words flow off of us like 'water off a duck'. Remember the old saying that 'Sticks and stones can hurt us, but words never can harm us'. Words only have power over us if we give them power. Unfortunately, on too many occasions we forget this very important point. Whether we consciously acknowledge it or not, we all have a philosophical approach to life which spills into our negotiations. We all have our issues and our self-doubts, which influence our own unique styles at the bargaining table. They can act as a detriment or hindrance on occasion. They need not diminish us or our abilities so long as we don't let them rule and dictate how we operate. We need to acknowledge what we perceive as our failings, then summarily dismiss them as irrelevant to our task at hand. Likewise, we must also be very careful how we perceive the failings of our counterpart, less we mistakenly allow ourselves to succumb to overconfidence. All of us want to be treated with respect, yet we don't always accord others, with the same amount of respect we think we deserve in kind. Confidence and egotism are unfortunately often confused with each other, yet they are extremely different. Confidence comes from being prepared for our talks, our professional competence, and by accepting and being at peace with who you are as a person. Forget about what other people do; you're not them and they aren't you. You will find your confidence when you stop being at odds with yourself or playing the comparison game. Your style will flow harmoniously when you aren't at odds with your nature. You should view your style as an appropriate expression of yourself. It doesn't have to be compromised to suit anybody else, especially your counterpart. Your style is your own unique strength, once you learn to use it to suit yourself. It's your move!

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