“Nobody knows everything, but everyone knows something.” – African Proverb
Negotiation is a part of our everyday lives, even though we often think it does not come naturally to us. Whether deciding dinner plans with your family or convincing children to go to bed, we use the art ubiquitously. Negotiation in our professional lives is used to decide the salary and terms of a first job and continues through later leadership roles in any career. As anesthesiologists, we interact and interface with nurses, surgeons, and more in the OR every single day. Teamwork and adept negotiation skills are required to deliver excellent patient care.
Chris Voss, a master FBI negotiator, advises that we take the adversarial nature out of negotiations. The “adversary” is the problem rather than the other person. Ensure that your colleague knows that you're negotiating in good faith. Be genuinely interested in others, remembering that they have...