Why Don’t You Wear Underwear to the Beach?
A wedding gown and tuxedo are “clothing,” and so are bathing suits. Yet, a couple would not wear a bikini and swim trunks while exchanging vows in a church or…
RUNNING THE ROOM
A Guide to Leadership, Negotiation and Disciplined Deal Making
Why Don’t You Wear Underwear to the Beach?
A wedding gown and tuxedo are “clothing,” and so are bathing suits. Yet, a couple would not wear a bikini and swim trunks while exchanging vows in a church or
How Do You Want to Open?
Welcome to 2026! This is the year you can master the art of influence. What’s that you say? You don’t worry about how you might influence others? Silly you! You
If Your Mother Says She Loves You…
Old MacDonald had a prompt AI AI Oh! And with that prompt he wrote a book AI AI Oh! A recent article in the New York Times raised for me
They Don’t Play Nice
Someone asked me how I deal with “difficult” negotiators, so I shared this story. Back in 1995 when “the internet” was a shadowy world, like a digital Mirkwood, I was
Take Care of Your People
A friend, who is life-long gear head, said something to me about cars years ago that changed how I think about engines and business: “Your car doesn’t run on gas.
Five Essentials For Your Negotiation (Harvard Got it Wrong)
What should you focus on as you prepare for a negotiation? Recently, the Harvard Project on Negotiation (PON) posited that these five words were essential to know as you start
Are You a Real Person?
Victor was confident. Victor was direct. Victor was responsive. Victor was solving my problem. But I had a sense Victor was not real. What do I say? Is it offensive
Show Your Face
The further away someone is from you, the easier it is to say no. Scientific studies have proved this, and the idea makes perfect sense. Think about it: what’s the
We’re Not Negotiating (We’re Influencing)
People say, “We’re negotiating all the time” but that’s actually inaccurate. When we interact with people day-to-day we do negotiate more often than we realize, but we’re not negotiating all
A Tell Can Tell a Lot
Negotiation is not like poker. Except when it is. Some elements of the negotiation process are often compared to poker, such as the idea of “keeping one’s cards close” and
How Do You Want to Open?
Welcome to 2026! This is the year you can master the art of influence. What’s that you say? You don’t worry about how you might influence others? Silly you! You…
If Your Mother Says She Loves You…
Old MacDonald had a prompt AI AI Oh! And with that prompt he wrote a book AI AI Oh! A recent article in the New York Times raised for me…
Welcome to
Running The Room!
The name for this blog comes from how I was taught disciplined sales and negotiation professionals lead when trying to close a deal: “You have to be able to run the room.”
Why Don’t You Wear Underwear to the Beach?
A wedding gown and tuxedo are “clothing,” and so are bathing suits. Yet, a couple would not wear a bikini and swim trunks while exchanging vows in a church or…
How Do You Want to Open?
Welcome to 2026! This is the year you can master the art of influence. What’s that you say? You don’t worry about how you might influence others? Silly you! You…
If Your Mother Says She Loves You…
Old MacDonald had a prompt AI AI Oh! And with that prompt he wrote a book AI AI Oh! A recent article in the New York Times raised for me…
They Don’t Play Nice
Someone asked me how I deal with “difficult” negotiators, so I shared this story. Back in 1995 when “the internet” was a shadowy world, like a digital Mirkwood, I was…
Take Care of Your People
A friend, who is life-long gear head, said something to me about cars years ago that changed how I think about engines and business: “Your car doesn’t run on gas.…
Five Essentials For Your Negotiation (Harvard Got it Wrong)
What should you focus on as you prepare for a negotiation? Recently, the Harvard Project on Negotiation (PON) posited that these five words were essential to know as you start…
Are You a Real Person?
Victor was confident. Victor was direct. Victor was responsive. Victor was solving my problem. But I had a sense Victor was not real. What do I say? Is it offensive…
Show Your Face
The further away someone is from you, the easier it is to say no. Scientific studies have proved this, and the idea makes perfect sense. Think about it: what’s the…
We’re Not Negotiating (We’re Influencing)
People say, “We’re negotiating all the time” but that’s actually inaccurate. When we interact with people day-to-day we do negotiate more often than we realize, but we’re not negotiating all…