🚜 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘃𝘀. 𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗾: 𝗔 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 🛢️

Imagine this: farmers in southern Iraq, who had lost everything after Saddam Hussein’s fall, band together to lease land, plant crops, and rebuild their lives. Everything is going well until boom—an oil discovery under their fields. The national oil company moves in with a letter saying, "Get off our land." The farmers fire back, "It’s our land, and we’re not leaving."

Tensions rise. The oil company threatens police action, then escalates to bringing in the army. The farmers, armed and defiant, say, "We have nothing left to lose."

💥 A clash seemed inevitable... until one official asked a simple question:

“How long before you start drilling for oil?”

“Three years,” the company responded.

“And what’s the problem with leaving now?” he asked the farmers.

“Our harvest is in six weeks,” they said. “It’s everything we own.”

💡 And there it was: the breakthrough moment.

A deal was struck—the farmers would harvest their crops, while the oil company could begin its preparatory work. No bloodshed, just common sense. Even company hired later farmers for the work.

💭 What’s the takeaway?

When we focus on positions, like “It’s MY land”, "This should be my decision" we overlook solutions that serve both sides. The more we dig in, the more we miss the underlying needs. In this case, all it took was a few questions and the ability to look past the standoff.

🔄 Arguing over positions is inefficient. True negotiation isn’t about splitting differences but finding a solution that meets everyone’s interests.

✨ So next time you’re caught in a standoff, ask: What are the real concerns here?

Thoughts?

𝗣.𝗦.: 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Image Source: Getting to yes, Page 9