Never Split the Difference

To be honest, negotiation does not come naturally to me. However I agree with the author that life is a series of negotiations we should be prepared for. Whether it is negotiating a salary, buying a home/car, renegotiating rent, or even trying to get your project approved at work place. This book outlines a framework based on emotional intelligence to have more productive and effective negotiation.

Although most of the examples in the book come from the author's previous experience of hostage negotiation, the framework discussed in the book is applicable in our personal and professional life. I find that some of the recommendations in the book apply beyond negotiation and it could help in being more empathetic.

Interesting thing about this book is that when I was a MBA student at USC Marshall school of business I wanted to take the Negotiation class by Chris Voss. This was among highly rated and very popular classes at the school. Unfortunately the semester I wanted to enroll in this class was the semester when Chris left USC and I could never attend his class. So this book has been on my reading list ever since.

Even if you think you don't need to learn how to negotiate, I would highly recommend reading this book.