09 Feb. ZEITGEIST On the Cutting Edge

Let’s start here: Lindsey Vonn knew she was taking an extremely high risk. She chose to start anyway. After the heavy crash, she essentially said: no regrets. We are not here to debate whether that was courageous or reckless. Instead, let’s draw a parallel from the world of high-performance athletes to high-performance negotiations:

What happens when “pushing to the limit” becomes a fixed position in a negotiation?

In negotiations (and in decision-making), this stance can appear powerful: maximum determination, no retreat. Strategically, however, it is highly risky. Because anyone who commits early and publicly burns options. A shared decision-making process turns into a binary game: proceed or walk away. Without previously agreed objective criteria, it quickly becomes a duel of willpower - or even morality.

Three key takeaways from the Harvard Negotiation framework:

• Determination does not replace process. Clear criteria outperform heroic narratives. Whoever commits early, publicly, and irreversibly turns a negotiation into a positioning game.
• Commitment before exploration reduces the quality of outcomes. Strength often lies in keeping options open.
• “No regrets” protects reputation - but it does not replace process reflection.

 

True maturity in negotiation is not demonstrated by how far you are willing to go. It is demonstrated by when - and why - you decide to stop. Where have you recently experienced maximum determination destroying more options than it created?

Wishing Lindsey Vonn a speedy recovery.

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